RCMP union says Manitoba, Saskatchewan face severe staffing stresses

The union representing front-line Mounties says it has not seen an internal RCMP memo calling for emergency officer transfers to Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but says the two provinces are under severe workload stress. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — The union representing front-line Mounties says it has not seen an internal RCMP memo calling for short-term staff transfers to Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but says those provinces are under severe workload stress.

Bobby Baker, the National Police Federation’s director for the Prairies, says it’s not unheard of for there to be a call to shift officers between jurisdictions temporarily.

But he says most often it’s confined to the three northern territories, and the situation in Manitoba and Saskatchewan has worsened considerably.

He says officers in rural Manitoba are getting burned out working to investigate an unprecedented 58 homicides last year.

Global News has reported that RCMP are circulating an internal email asking for members and reservists to sign up for two-week stints in Manitoba and Saskatchewan this spring to fill vacancies.

The RCMP has declined to confirm the email’s contents, citing internal privacy rules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2025.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press