RCMP Heritage Site
150 RCMP
1873-2023
The critical histories presented here are important for every Canadian to know and understand. Read, share, and teach.
Personnel of the Royal North West Mounted Police. Archives / Collections and Fonds.
RCMP 150
On May 23, 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will mark its 150th anniversary with a mythological commemoration of service to the country.
The National RCMP Research Council seeks to amend these gaps in our national memory about the real history of the force.
This “major historical milestone,” as the RCMP call it, is certainly a chance to reflect on “our storied past,” but we intend to tell stories here of those impacted by the power of this force to enact terrible violence and oppression.
This website project would be unnecessary, if not for the lack of institutional accountability the RCMP has demonstrated, despite numerous attempts by RCMP officers themselves, royal commissions, reports, and thousands of civilian complaints. It presents an opportunity for a wholesale rethinking of the role of the RCMP in Canadian society.
The histories presented here are important for every Canadian to know and understand. Read, share, and teach.
Follow us on social media to join the conversation, using #RCMP150 and #RCMPTimesUp150.
Photo Credit: Legal Observers, 2010
RCMP Stats
2000
Average number of civilian complaints filed against the RCMP each year
$6 billion
The RCMP’s planned gross spending in the 2022-23 fiscal year
41
Number of years LGBTQ+ people were excluded from the force
20
Average number of people who die in RCMP custody each year
35
Number of people who suffered gun shots from RCMP weapons in 2022
8
Average number of people who die from being shot by the RCMP each year
56
Number of years the RCMP enforced the racist and unlawful pass system in the prairies
Nearly 500
Complaints against the RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) unit in BC
76
Number of years the RCMP enforced the abduction of Indigenous children for residential schooling
Photo Credit: Michael Toledano
