Investing in the future of the RCMP

Notes for an Address by
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada


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Introduction

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Thank-you Commissioner Zaccardelli for that generous introduction.

It is a distinct honour to be in this institution today.

As you all know, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy, Depot Division, is the exclusive recruit training centre for the best national law enforcement organization in the world.

It is also the historic headquarters of the North West Mounted Police, the force that brought the rule of law to western Canada over 130 years ago.

Depot is all that and much more.

It is, in a very real way, the historic headquarters of Canadian values.

On the very first page of the RCMP Cadet Training Handbook, new recruits learn that their mission is, and I quote:

“to preserve the peace, uphold the law, and provide quality service in partnership with our communities.”

Those inspiring words echo the commitment to “peace, order and good government” that the Fathers of Confederation enshrined in our Constitution.

These are the values instilled in the generations of recruits who have passed through these halls en route to their mission “maintaining the right” in communities across the Canada.

They – you – are national icons and role models who in word and deed defend the fundamental values of our nation.

That is how important this institution is to our country.

Investing in Depot

And that is why Minister Day and I are here today.

To affirm that Canada’s New Government is delivering on its commitment to make substantial investments in the future of the RCMP.

In Budget 2006, we allocated $161 million in new funding for the hiring of 1,000 more RCMP staff and federal prosecutors.
Today I am pleased to announce our first step toward that goal:
During the next two years, the total strength of the RCMP will be expanded by more than 600 new full-time officers plus nearly 400 support personnel.
I am also pleased to announce that in order to accommodate the training of these officers, we are delivering on our Budget commitment to invest in the expansion and refurbishing of Depot.
I’m sure the cadets with us today appreciate the storied history of this institution.
And they’re probably too polite to say the place could use some sprucing up.
But the fact is Depot is the oldest post-secondary educational institution in the City of Regina.
And as with all old buildings, there comes a time to renovate.

You need better facilities.

And more space.

Capital projects will include a new dining hall, dormitories and classrooms, and a new indoor firing range.

Some of the money is also earmarked for an aggressive national recruiting campaign.

And for an enhanced field coaching program ensure all Depot graduates are paired with experienced officers for their first posting.

During your intensive 22-week training program, cadets will not only learn state-of-the-art policing, you will also be taught to uphold the RCMP’s historic values of:

• Integrity.
• Professionalism.
• Compassion.
• Respect.
• And Accountability.

You will be then posted to communities across Canada - ready, willing and able to meet the challenges of contemporary law enforcement.

We ask an awful lot of the brave young men and women who wear the Red Serge.

We ask you to protect law-abiding Canadians from the rising plague of gun, gang and drug crime.

We ask you to monitor, investigate and pre-empt terrorist plots, at home and abroad.

We ask you to participate in international peacekeeping efforts, often in very difficult and dangerous circumstances.

We ask you to intervene in volatile family disputes, to rescue abused children, and to defuse community conflicts.

That’s why Canada’s New Government is sparing no expense to make sure the RCMP has the people – and the facilities – to do the job we ask them to do.

That’s also why we are working with the provinces to put another 2,500 front-line police officers on our streets.

Canada’s Crime Problems & Solutions

You don’t need to be a criminologist to know that serious crime – especially gun, gang and drug crime – is increasing in Canada.

And it is threatening the Canadian way of life.

You know it.

And I hear it all the time as I travel around the country.

It is going to take a strong RCMP, working in partnership with strong local police forces, and all backed by a federal government determined to tackle crime, to reverse this trend.

Beyond the investment in Depot and more RCMP officers, Canada’s New Government is toughening up the justice system.

Because nothing is more frustrating for police and prosecutors than seeing their hard-won convictions result in trivial, ineffective sentences.

That’s why we have already introduced legislation to impose new mandatory prison sentences for serious gun crimes.

We have also introduced legislation to restrict the use of conditional sentencing, so serious offenders serve their sentences in prison – where they belong.

Yet another new crime bill cracks down on street racing, a growing problem which has claimed too many innocent lives.

And, finally, we have introduced legislation to raise the age of protection.

This will help protect children from sexual predators, including Internet cyber-criminals, who represent a whole new challenge for the RCMP.

More police.

Tougher laws.

Longer sentences.

It’s all part of our action plan to tackle crime.

But that’s not everything…

Community-based Solutions

The sad reality is that not every child is born into a stable, loving home or raised in a healthy, prosperous community.

Government cannot regulate the behaviour of every child or every family, but it can do things to encourage healthy communities.

That’s why our Government is also investing in community-based educational, cultural, sporting and vocational programs for young people.

To teach them skills, give them opportunities and provide them with alternatives to gangs, guns and drugs.

To show them there’s a better way – a Canadian way – that is reflected in the values of our country’s most cherished institutions, including the RCMP.

Conclusion

And that’s the last thought I’d like to leave with you, the young recruits gathered here today.

Along with all the other things we ask of you when you become full-fledged police officers, I want to ask you to do one more thing:

Be very, very proud of yourself, your uniform and the values you represent.

Because you are a symbol of all that is good in Canadian society, all that is true, strong and free.

Thank-you. Merci beaucoup. God Bless Canada.