National security is at risk if RCMP’s federal policing problems aren’t fixed, committee warns

The federal government urgently needs to change how the RCMP’s federal policing wing functions or risk seeing national security files fall through the cracks, says a special intelligence and security committee.

“National security is at risk. The security of Canadians is at risk.” said Liberal MP David McGuinty, chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

“What’s at risk is missing something.”

The committee, often referred to as NSICOP, tabled a report Tuesday examining the RCMP’s federal mandate, which includes foreign interference, terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime.

The committee concluded that federal policing is not “as effective, efficient, flexible or accountable as it needs to be to protect Canada and Canadians from the most significant national security and criminal threats.” 

NSICOP’s 91-page report says the RCMP’s federal mandate is hindered by a number of resource issues, including the force’s focus on boots-on-the-ground policing. The RCMP is under contract as the provincial police service in most provinces. It’s also the police force for about 150 municipalities and all three territories.

The committee said the dual mandate creates “undesirable effects.”

“We’re certainly calling on the federal government to to examine the relationship between contract policing and federal policing inside the organization,” said McGuinty

Data practices ‘disturbing,’ says NSICOP chair

The problems with federal policing don’t stop there, said the report. 

It also flagged weak governance, inadequate data management, “an intelligence function misaligned with federal requirements and a recruitment and training model ill-suited to its mandate.”

In an interview with CBC News, McGuinty called the way data is handled within the RCMP “disturbing.” 

The committee said the RCMP lacks standardized methods for data management, meaning its information often includes incomplete records, outdated reporting, inconsistencies, incorrect data and missing information.  

“The data systems don’t support evidence-based decision making,” said McGuinty. “So that’s a very, very big surprise.”

The report notes that while the RCMP has initiated reforms to address deficiencies in federal policing, “most are still in their infancy and could easily be hollowed out by a tendency towards the status quo.” 

NSICOP made five recommendations, including a call for more resources and amendments to the RCMP Act.

The first recommendation on its list is for the minister of public safety to provide clear and regular direction to the RCMP to strengthen federal policing. The report says that should include direction on governance, financial controls, human resources, recruiting and training, and information management.

McGuinty said the RCMP’s problems need to be a “high priority” for the federal government. 

“What we’ve found in looking under the hood is a series of issues that have just simply convinced us that we’ve got to up our game very, very quickly on this. The minister has got to take responsibility,” he said.

“I would lay a lot of the responsibility now at the feet of the the minister of public safety, who’s got to step up and work.”

A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he was not not available to comment. 

NSICOP said it decided to review the RCMP’s federal work in February 2021 to get a baseline understanding of the Mounties’ mandates and capabilities.

Since then, the public inquiry investigating the one of worst mass shootings in Canadian history released its damning final report. The Mass Casualty Commission, which investigated the April 2020 massacre in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people, called on the public safety minister to review and restructure the RCMP.

Made up of MPs from the four recognized parties and senators, NSICOP was created in 2017 with a mandate to review national security measures.

Committee members are given top security clearances to permit them to review classified materials and are sworn to secrecy.