Question Period Note: Contract Policing Agreements

Some jurisdictions that currently contract their policing services from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are considering alternative policing models, including the establishment of independent police services.

• The administration of justice, including policing, is the responsibility of provinces and territories.

• Currently, eight provinces, all three territories, and over 150 municipalities have chosen to contract their policing services from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which is cost shared with the federal government. Ontario and Quebec have their own police services.

• Provinces, territories and municipalities are best placed to choose the policing services that meet the needs of their communities. The current Police Services Agreements between the RCMP and provinces, territories and municipalities expire in 2032.

• The Government supports the choice of provinces, territories and municipalities regarding how best to provide policing services for their communities, and will work with jurisdictions that elect to establish their own police services to ensure an effective and efficient transition, while protecting public and officer safety.

The administration of justice, including policing, is the responsibility of provinces and territories. While provinces have enacted statutes to govern policing in their jurisdictions, eight of ten provinces, all three territories, and over 150 municipalities have contracted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to deliver policing services in their jurisdictions. These contracts are called Police Service Agreements, and are cost shared with the federal government in ratios of 70/30 with provinces and municipalities with populations below 15,000, and 90/10 with municipalities with populations above 15,000. The 20-year provincial/territorial and municipal Police Service Agreements — which were renewed in 2012 — are set to expire in 2032. These Agreements may be terminated on March 31 in any year by either party giving the other party notice not less than 24 months prior to the date of the intended termination. The Agreements bind the parties to work together to effect an orderly transition should the province, territory or municipality choose to terminate the Agreement in favor of another police service.

Several provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) and municipalities
(Union of New Brunswick municipalities) that currently contract RCMP policing services have recently expressed an interest in exploring alternative policing models, including the establishment of their own provincial and municipal policing services. The municipality of Surrey, British Columbia, is the only jurisdiction that is currently in the process of transitioning from the RCMP to an independent police service.

There are a number of factors triggering these reviews, including: the rising cost of RCMP services stemming from the recent negotiation of the first collective agreement for RCMP regular members;
a desire for greater local control, transparency and accountability over policing; and, in specific jurisdictions, a push for more autonomy from Ottawa.

Alberta recently commissioned a report that examined the costs of transitioning and operating an independent police service and the model of policing that could be deployed. Highlights include:

• transition would take six years and cost approximately $366M;

• an independent model would cost less overall to operate ($735M to $759M annually) than the current model (approximately $783M). However, with the loss of the federal cost-share (approximately $170-$195M annually) the annual cost to the province and municipalities currently policed by the RCMP would increase; and,

• implementing a new policing model would provide an opportunity to address key challenges under the existing model, namely: increased local control over policing and associated costs, tailored and innovative approaches to public safety that meet the needs of local communities and address root causes of crime, and enhanced local accountability and oversight through local boards and commissions.

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