Mr. Speaker, what is happening to Canada's finest?
Most Canadians were shocked to learn that the RCMP had joined with Disney in an effort to promote both of their images at home and abroad. However, what about the picture in today's Globe and Mail : six scarlet clad Mounties at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, rented by a private oil company to promote its new stock listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
The company also planned to use these rented Mounties to generate more publicity for its stock by having them chauffeur late night talk show host David Letterman to his studio. However this was nixed at the last minute, not by the RCMP but by Actors Equity which claims the Mounties were not professional actors.
Is the RCMP now renting out members of the force to raise much needed budget funds or is it spending time back in Canada fighting crime? While its members are on Wall Street they are not fighting crime in Canada which is their mandate.