RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police, "F" Division (Saskatchewan) History

March West, 1874

Beginnings

Saskatchewan is synonymous with the RCMP. All members of the RCMP train at the national Training Academy in Regina.

It was in Western Canada that the need for a national police force first occurred.

The Cypress Hills Massacre, in which a large number of innocent and defenseless Assiniboine died, sparked the federal government to action regarding policing of the West.

March West Re-Enactment, 1999

On May 23, 1873 the Dominion Parliament passed an act to provide for the establishment of a "Mounted Police Force for the North-West Territories". A year later, the famous March West brought 300 original members of the NWMP to what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Headquarters of the Force relocated several times from Fort Garry, Fort Dufferin, Swan River, Fort Macleod and Fort Walsh before finally settling on a more centralized location beside Wascana Creek, on the outskirts of Regina in 1882.

The Police Force of a New Province

Early RCMP Detachment
Courtesy of National Archives

When Saskatchewan was inaugurated as a province along with Alberta in 1905, both provinces contracted for the services of the Mounted Police. The Force was now known as the Royal Northwest Mounted Police after King Edward VII bestowed the "Royal" prefix in 1904.

The First Contracts

Commissioner Aylesworth Bowen Perry

In 1905, the first contract with Saskatchewan was signed by Commissioner Perry to retain the services of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police for five years. Under this contract, 250 men were posted to Saskatchewan and the province paid $75,000 a year for the service. When the contract was renewed in 1911, the Force's workload had increased rapidly and the province agreed to an increase in manpower. The great rush for land in the West had led to two hundred thousand new residents. In 1914, the number of officers increased to 600 to handle the increase in population.

Reorganization of the Force

The First World War and its aftermath brought new conditions and challenges that resulted in a complete reorganization of the Force and its responsibilities. In 1917 the provincial policing contract in Saskatchewan was terminated due to disagreements between the province and the Force. Protection of the international boundary between Canada and the United States had become a high priority for the Force while the Saskatchewan government wanted increased attention given to the enforcement of provincial liquor laws.

Troops by Qu'Appelle Station, May 5-1885, RCMP-100095 RCMP-100095

Labour unrest in the years following the war lead the Federal government to decide there must be a single federal police force across Canada. In February 1920, the Mounted Police absorbed the Dominion Police, which had carried out federal policing in eastern Canada. Headquarters was moved from Regina to Ottawa and the Force became responsible for enforcement of federal laws from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In keeping with its new role, it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A model for other provinces

By 1926, Saskatchewan Premier James Gardiner had concerns about the policing situation in the province. He said the presence of three forces--the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Provincial Police and several municipal forces--was not a viable situation. One of his concerns was the overlap of duties, resulting in excessive cost.

A new agreement was struck between the province and the RCMP in 1928 to provide policing services for seven years. It called for the absorption of as many Provincial Police members as possible into the RCMP. Over the years, the agreement with Saskatchewan has become a model for other provinces. Today, the RCMP provides policing services on a contract basis to the province and municipalities in addition to enforcing federal laws in Saskatchewan.