Public Accounts Committee on Sept. 24th, 2026

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Civilians...?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

There's a comprehensive expenditure review that we've gone through, but it did not affect the operations.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Would it be fair to say that 250 positions were cut at the RCMP last year?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

I'd have to get back—

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Approximately....

[Commr Michael Duheme]

—with the exact number.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Was it around that?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

Probably around that, but none on the operational side....

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Okay. I have an email from you that said there will be 250 civilian positions filled and 750 regular members.

That being said, are 350 of those positions coming from contract policing moving to federal initiatives, which would take 350 officers off the street?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

That's not exactly right. When we came with the proposal for 750, consultation with government was the 350. We average anywhere between 100 and 150 experienced police officers in a year, banking on that, and we know that with the closure of Surrey detachment, there is a reserve of close to 150 officers we can use for federal policing. This would bring us to about 75 to 100 people we would have to hire from either the academy...but again, on the federal policing side, we wish to have experienced police.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

In the commissioner's broadcast, it says that the “goal is to hire 350 regular members” into federal policing, in your words. That's 350 regular members: Where would they come from?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

As I said, the first target for regular members for the first year is 350. Out of that 350, the plan is and continues to be increasing the experienced police officers from other police departments who are joining our organization and who become regular members. Our regular members are currently in Surrey. We're drawing down our numbers in Surrey. In Grand Prairie, we're also drawing down, and then it would be about 80 to 100 people that we would recruit from different divisions.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

You keep saying “drawing down”. How many contracted officers who were on the front lines in each province that has contract policing are you taking from the front lines to put into federal initiatives? I've heard that you're asking Saskatchewan to give 35 members from contract policing to put them into federal initiatives.

[Commr Michael Duheme]

Yes, every commanding officer was given a target to release regular members—experienced members—to the federal policing mandate that we have. I also have a role in balancing the resources that come in and balancing the service that we provide to Canadians across the country.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

In no world are you going to hire 1,000 new frontline RCMP officers to serve and protect this country as the Liberals have been saying. That is blatantly false.

[Commr Michael Duheme]

What I was ordered to do, or the mandate I was given, was to hire 750 police officers for federal policing—

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

This is not what the minister said. The minister said 1,000.

[Commr Michael Duheme]

I'm telling you what my mandate is, Mr. Chair.

It was clear from the minister: 750 police officers for federal policing.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Why do we keep hearing the number 1,000?

For example, Shafqat Ali said, “we're hiring 1,000 RCMP officers and 1,000 CBSA officers.”

“We are hiring 1,000 new RCMP personnel”, said Gary Anandasangaree.

Sean Fraser said we're going to “hire 1,000 new RCMP officers.”

Each one of them is saying they're going to hire 1,000 new RCMP officers, which is blatantly false.

[Commr Michael Duheme]

My commitment to the government through the minister is 750 regular members—those are police officers—and 250 who would fall under public service employees with special skill sets to support the federal policing mandate.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

In the time I have left, I want to ask this: How many frontline officers who work in patrol cars on the streets in our communities is each province going to have to give up to go into federal initiatives?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

I'm more than happy to share a chart with the specific numbers for each division. In the first year, it will be about 80 police officers from across the country who will be reassigned to federal policing.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to make sure he tables that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

The commissioner offered to do that, and the committee will look for the information in the next couple of weeks. Thank you very much for that.

I appreciate that, Mr. Steinley.

We're now turning to Ms. Yip.

It's nice to see you. You have the floor for six minutes.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the Auditor General for this important report.

Thank you to the RCMP for keeping Canadians safe across the country.

My first question is this: Why did the RCMP not meet its target processing time for 97% of applications?