RCMP Day proposal arrives in Commons

Jun 20, 2019 | 11:21 AM

A bill to recognize February 1 as Royal Canadian Mounted Police Day has been introduced in the House of Commons by North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Mel Arnold.

The proposed legislation from the opposition MP aligns with a provincial bill introduced in the B.C. Legislature in May by Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster.

“As we prepare to mark a century of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police defending the law and keeping Canadians safe, it is fitting to recognize the RCMP’s service with an annual day of recognition,” Arnold said on Thursday. “I am honoured to introduce this bill to establish recognition of the RCMP in federal legislation.”

In 2016, a provincial bill passed in the Manitoba legislature that established February 1 as RCMP Day in that province.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was established on February 1, 1920 when the Royal Northwest Mounted Police and the Dominion Police merged. The two former services were formed in the 1800s.

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The RCMP of today is made up of almost 30,000 individuals, with 18,000 frontline members and 12,000 support personnel.

The RCMP Appreciation Day in B.C. committee has helped drive efforts.

“As a grassroots group established in Vernon, we want to recognize the commitment that the men and women of the RCMP have made and continue to make each and every day,” Martin von Holst, chairman of the committee, said. “RCMP members leave their homes and families to put their lives on the line to serve and protect us and our communities across Canada and for that we are deeply grateful.”

Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster said he is proud to see the campaign spread from B.C. to Ottawa.

“The men and women of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from coast-to-coast-to-coast have served Canada with distinction for nearly a century,” Foster said. “I am proud to see this campaign of appreciation for the RCMP continue to build momentum from grassroots volunteers in Vernon to the legislative assembly in Victoria to the House of Commons in Ottawa.”

by Kate Bouey

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