OTTAWA - May 23, 2008-Today marks the beginning of a special anniversary year for the RCMP. One hundred and thirty-five years ago, the North-West Mounted (NWMP) Police was established by an Act of Parliament on May 23, 1873, at the direction of then Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.
Today the RCMP endures as a national institution and symbol of Canada. It is a part of the very fabric of our great country, says RCMP Commissioner William J.S. Elliott.
Several activities and events are being planned to mark the Forces anniversary year, the first to be held today at RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa.
Starting at 11 a.m., the RCMP is holding a private memorial service at its national headquarters to honour those who have given their lives in the line of duty since 1873.
Throughout our history, the RCMP has demonstrated its commitment to Canadians' safety. We remain committed to maintaining and improving the quality of the services we provide and on which the safety and security of our fellow citizens depends, says Commr. Elliott.
I would like to congratulate the RCMP on its 135th anniversary, said the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety. As the cornerstone of Canada's policing history, the RCMP is an invaluable partner in protecting and ensuring the safety of Canadians. The committed men and women who fill its ranks have a proven record of providing outstanding service, and they will continue to do so in the years to come.
The RCMP has grown from the 300 members who set out on the March West in 1874 to 28,000 employees, including police officers, civilian members, public servants and municipal employees.
The RCMP has more than 750 detachments across the country, providing front line police services to over 200 municipalities and some 600 aboriginal communities.
It is the provincial police in all provinces except Ontario and Québec, and the territorial police in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
The RCMP has much to be proud of. We have tremendous strengths. We are a world class police service, says Commr. Elliott.
Both the public and media will be advised of upcoming events and activities planned to mark the Force's 135th anniversary.
Fore more information on the history of the RCMP, please visit the RCMP Heritage Museum website at: http://www.rcmpheritagecentre.com.
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Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Celebrating 135 years of history
2008 marks a special anniversary for the RCMP
135 years of...
Preserving tradition
Undergoing/Embracing transition
Maintaining trust
Historical Highlights:
- 1873: The North West Mounted (NWMP) Police was established by an Act of Parliament on May 23, 1873, at the direction of Sir John A. MacDonald.
- 1874: On July 8, some 275 men, with horses and supplies, set off on the great "March West" to bring law and order to the Canadian West.
- 1883: The Canadian Pacific Railway reaches Calgary under the watchful eye of Sir Sam Steele and his mobile NWMP detachment.
- 1895-96: The NWMP goes to the Yukon, to secure Canadian sovereignty on the northern frontier and maintain order during the Gold Rush.
- 1900: On March 8, members of the NWMP volunteer for the Lord Strathcona Horse to fight in the South African War.
- 1904: In June, the "Royal" prefix is conferred on the NWMP by King Edward VII .
- Early 20th Century: Immigration to the West expands and the RNWMP provides help and protection to new Canadians. Mounties helped settlers choose the best homestead, advised them on crop conditions, quarantined diseased animals, helped find errant livestock and provided welfare to farmers in difficulty. Yet as Canada was busy with domestic affairs, dark clouds of war were gathering over Europe and its impact would soon be felt at home.
- First World War: Members of the RNWMP volunteer for military service, forming cavalry units. Squadron "A" served in England, France and Belgium, while Squadron "B" Squadron served in Siberia, Russia.
- During the war, the RNWMP is responsible for intelligence gathering and surveillance of enemy aliens.
- 1919: On June 21, members of the RNWMP clash with demonstrators during the Winnipeg General Strike
- 1920: On December 1, the Royal North-West Mounted Police becomes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with the absorption of the Dominion Police.
- Roaring 20s and Dirty 30s: The RCMP modernizes its modes of transportation - cars, snowmobiles and motorcycles are introduced. In 1932, the Marine Section is established, followed in 1938 by the Air Section. Forensics, fingerprinting and Crime Detection Laboratories become important crime-solving tools.
- In 1927, "The Mad Trapper" of Rat River shoots and severely injures Cst. King. A massive manhunt ensues in the Yukon Territory. For a month. "The Mad Trapper" eludes the Mounted Police. On January 30, he killed Cst. Millen. The RCMP uses the first plane to assist in the apprehension of a criminal. The team sets out on February 3, in pursuit of the criminal. The final shoot-out between the "Mad Trapper" and the RCMP occured on February 17, 1932, when the "Mad Trapper", aka Albert Johnson is killed. The case captivated the attention of Canadians who were glued to their radios to hear that the Mounties "got their man."
- During Prohibition, the RCMP was kept busy tracking down liquor-smugglers off the East Coast. In one of the most sensational cases, the RCMP intercepted the schooner Veda M. McKeown off the coast of Nova Scotia in July, 1923, carrying 1,700 gallons of rum, 190 cases of whisky, and 35 cases of gin.
- Second World War: RCMP Marine and Air Section personnel are transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force. The No. 1 Provost Company is composed of RCMP members who volunteered for military police duties overseas.
- On the home front, the RCMP is responsible for the protection of strategic installations and gathering information on potential subversives or saboteurs.
- 1942: On October 11, the St. Roch arrives in Halifax from Vancouver after two years spent circumnavigating the North-West Passage.
- 1945: Shortly after the end of the war, the defection of a cipher clerk at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa, Igor Gouzenko, revealed the existence of an elaborate Communist spy ring operating in Canada. Within a few days the British and Americans sent agents to Ottawa to assist the RCMP with its investigation. Eventually 12 suspects, both Britons and Canadians, were arrested. Some historians contend that the Gouzenko Affair was the opening salvo of the Cold War.
- The expansion and evolution of RCMP security operations continue: the Special Branch established in 1950, the Directorate of Security and Intelligence created in 1962 and the Security Service constituted in 1970 gave increasing powers to the RCMP. Eventually, the government creates a separate civilian agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 1984.
- 1948: The Musical Ride resumes annual performances in Canada and abroad thus upholding an RCMP tradition dating back to 1876.
- 1950s-1960s - New Technologies, New Challenges: Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking, Money-Laundering - the responsibilities of Canada's only national police force continue to expand.
- 1974: The first troop of women recruits graduates from Depot Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan.
- Expansion of duties and responsibilities in the 1970s: airport policing, VIP security, drug enforcement, economic crime the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) established in 1972
- The 1990s mark the expansion of international policing duties, such as Namibia, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Kosovo, Bosnia/Herzegovina, East Timor, Guatemala, and Croatia.
- Post 9/11: The RCMP rises to the challenge and establishes the National Operations Centre. NOC is a fully secure and integrated command and control centre for centralized monitoring and co-ordination during critical incidents and major events.
"The RCMP has much to be proud of. We have tremendous strengths. We are a world class police service...
Trust is an essential component of the RCMP's ability to carry out our mandate... Canadians must see that we are working to earn and maintain their trust, if they are to conclude that their trust is well placed in us." – Commissioner William J.S. Elliott
