By Kevin Lynch and Jim Mitchell

The RCMP, perhaps Canada’s most iconic institution, is in trouble — something Nova Scotians are only too aware of following the horrific mass shooting in April 2020.

The tragedy revealed operational confusion by the provincial police force, poor co-ordination between it and municipal forces, abysmal communications with the public, inadequate training and equipment for its officers, and confused accountability for its actions.

That “provincial police force” in Nova Scotia, as in seven other provinces, is actually the RCMP, working under contract with the federal government. This “contract policing” arrangement dates to 1932, when Nova Scotia, then in the middle of the Great Depression, contracted with Ottawa to have the RCMP take over provincial policing.

Today, the RCMP does federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous policing in Nova Scotia through 53 detachments around the province, employing some 1,500 people, both uniformed and civilian. Nine municipalities in the province contract directly with the RCMP for municipal police services.

We do not believe these contract policing arrangements work well for either Canada or Nova Scotia. In a recent policy brief for the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, entitled Reforming the RCMP: The Path Forward, we set out the case for a fundamental, not incremental, reform of the RCMP to meet the policing needs of today.

The problem is structural; the RCMP has an impossibly broad mandate, largely unchanged from a century ago, when this was a very different country. This enormous mandate creates a jumble of responsibilities that lead to confusion in terms of priorities and accountabilities.

Federal policing, which is hugely complex today and is centred on organized crime and international threats to public safety, should be the RCMP’s main mission. Yet it is not.

Contract policing actually engages a large majority of RCMP officers and staff, yet it is something no other national policy force in any other major country does. The structure itself is an impediment to policing success, meeting neither federal nor provincial needs or priorities.

The people of Nova Scotia deserve to be served by a modern, effective and responsible provincial police service, one that is clearly accountable to civilian authority in Nova Scotia. Sadly, as the 2020 incident in the Portapique area so clearly indicated, the contract policing model is showing its weaknesses, particularly in dynamic, challenging and multijurisdictional circumstances. It is time for change.

It will not be easy. Entrenched interests will resist change, embracing the iconic nature of the status quo.

Cost will be a major consideration. Under the provincial contract, the province pays 70 per cent of the cost and Ottawa 30 per cent, while cost ratios under the municipal contracts vary from 90/10 to 70/30. But this is not the Great Depression, it’s 2023 and a very different world. To refocus the RCMP on modern federal policing, which is urgently needed, the federal government should be prepared to revisit the current model of contract policing. To do this, it must be open to transitional financing arrangements with provinces.

Change is most difficult when things are thought to be going well. But when things go badly, basic weaknesses are often revealed, and that’s what happened in April 2020. The frustrations felt by the families of the victims would have been much reduced if they were able to turn directly to their elected representatives in the province for answers. The recommendations forthcoming from the commission of inquiry would be easier to implement if there were a single level of government responsible for acting on them.

Indeed, given its recent experience, Nova Scotia could be the leader among the eight provinces to push for fundamental reform of contract policing.

There is no reason why Nova Scotians should not be served by a modern, well-managed provincial police service, clearly accountable to the provincial attorney general, and properly staffed and resourced to meet specifically provincial needs. This would improve responsiveness to community priorities and enable the province to direct resources to areas of greatest need. Most importantly, it would place responsibility for provincial policing where it belongs — with the province.

It is quite possible that Nova Scotia might decide that its needs would better be met by a regional police service, and move in that direction with the other Atlantic provinces. Certain Prairie provinces might think in similar terms. But all should move to align policing responsibilities with appropriate accountabilities, and to match policing resources with local priorities.

There is also a clear timeline for change: the current contract for RCMP services ends in 2032, a century after the beginning of the federal contract policing arrangements in Nova Scotia. This provides less than a decade to get ready, but the problems will only worsen with inaction.

Nova Scotia should make the decision to begin the task of creating its own provincial police service, in tandem with the other involved provinces. Exiting provincial policing would allow the RCMP to focus on providing the federal policing services that only it can do. That would give us modern, effective and accountable policing for the 21st century.

Kevin Lynch was clerk of the Privy Council and vice-chair of BMO Financial Group. Jim Mitchell is an adjunct professor at Carleton University and a former assistant secretary to the cabinet.