The RCMP is struggling nationally to recruit new officers, the Senate Committee on National Defence, Security, and Veterans Affairs heard during a hearing on May 15.
“Policing, like other sectors of the economy, is experiencing unprecedented challenges to recruit sufficient numbers of applicants,” said Nadine Huggins, the RCMP’s chief human resources officer. “Recruitment renewal is a key pillar of RCMP modernization, the RCMP is transforming and reimagining how it attracts, recruits, and retains police officers.”
But it’s a struggle. She told senators it’s not just a problem for the RCMP.
“It’s true that the number of applications from those wanting to enter the services is going down. But that is true everywhere in Canada, and North America,” said Huggins.
And Kathleen Clarkin, director of the RCMP’s national recruiting program, said they are working hard to figure out what potential applicants are looking for.
“It’s been very interesting to see some of the pieces we’ve learned,” she said. “Just to hear the Gen Z [talk about] how much a pension matters to them. So some of our colleagues have immediately started pivoting and targeting so that the messaging really showcases what we have to offer … we’ve developed a bit of a heat map to understand who is where, and who is most excited to join so that we can better target our efforts to be in the right place at the right time and build those relationships.”
Another tactic is to learn from other police forces. Chief Superintendent Andrew Blackadar, the commanding officer in Nunavut, said they have formed a close relationship with police in Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
“They have the same population that we have in Nunavut. So they have been very successful with their recruiting and retention strategy … so we’ve looked at them, look to them for some best practices,” he said.
Blackadar also said they are looking at whether others can do some of the work that traditionally has been done by uniformed members.
“Thirty-three years ago, there were very few public servants within the RCMP. Everybody was a uniformed police officer … the finance clerk was a uniformed police officer, the person in staffing was uniformed police officer … what sort of skill sets do people need? Can we bring in civilian investigators that don’t necessarily have to go through the full six months?” he asked. “We have to be nimble, and we have to be able to respond to the changing demands of Canadians.”
Recent years have also seen allegations of harassment within the RCMP, and Huggins said the organization is taking steps to deal with it, including an independent centre for harassment resolution.
“We are working diligently to improve our culture,” she said. “Are we there yet? No, we’re not there yet. We continue to work towards it. But we’ve made some substantive progress.”
“We are pulling all levers available to attract and retain the very best into our ranks.”
