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Royal Canadian Mounted Police Facts & Worksheets

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is Canada’s national police force.

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is Canada’s national police force. Also known as “Mounties”, they have a long and proud history that dates back to the Confederation and the opening of the Canadian West.

See the fact file below for more information on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Royal Canadian Mounted Police worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

NORTH-WESTERN MOUNTED

  • In 1873, Ottawa revived the idea of the federal police force as part of plans to administer North-West Territories
  • The Parliament passed an Act that established a force in May 1873. They sent 150 recruits that were sent west in August of that same year to spend the winter in Fort Garry (what is now known as Winnipeg). In the spring of 1874, another set of 150 recruits joined the previous batch.
  • This new police force eventually was called the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). They were organized along the lines of a cavalry regiment and armed with pistols, carbines (small, short-barreled rifles), and a few small artillery pieces. There were reports on the state of affairs in North-West Territories that wanted to emphasize the symbolic significance of the traditional British army uniform for the Indigenous people. Afterward, the blue trousers and scarlet tunic were used.
  • They gave the title of Commissioner to the commanding officer. They also had positions for the assistant commissioner and two other officer ranks, superintendent and inspector. These officers acted as justices of peace as they were given judicial powers. There were also non-commissioned ranks such as the sergeant, sergeant, corporal, and constable. The first commissioner was Lieutenant-Colonel George Arthur French. He was the commander of the Permanent Force gunnery school at Kingston.

PATROLS AND FORTS ESTABLISHED

  • On July 8, 1874, the newly created 300-man force of mounted police left Dufferin, Manitoba, and headed West for what is now known as Alberta. That was where whisky traders from Montana were known to be operating among the Blackfoot people. There was an incident months before in Cypress Hills at a whisky trader’s post in which several Assiniboine were massacred by whites.
  • The mounted police’s journey took them two months. Upon arriving in their destination, they discovered that most of the traders had already fled. The Blackfoot reported the activities of the remaining traders as they tested the intentions of the police. The traders were then arrested and convicted. This pleased Chief Crowfoot and laid the foundation for good relations with the police.
  • A permanent post was established at Fort MacLeod. It was led by Assistant Commissioner James F. MacLeod along with 150 of his men. The remaining half of the force was led by Inspector William Jarvis. They were sent to Fort Edmonton. The force under MacLeod then returned east to Fort Ellice as it was their assigned headquarters.

REBELLION AND MODERNIZATION

  • The NWMP concentrated on building close relationships with the Indigenous people. They helped them prepare for treaty negotiations with the government and they also mediated conflicts with the few settlers in the region.
  • The government increased the NWMP to 1,000 men and appointed a new commissioner, Lawrence Herchmer, to modernize the force. Herchmer improved training and introduced a more systematic approach to crime prevention, thus preparing the force to cope with the large increase in settlement in the West after 1885.

ROYAL NWMP AND RCMP ESTABLISHED

  • The “Royal” was added in 1904 in recognition of the service of many mounted policemen in the South African War.
  • By the early 20th century, the force was already well-established. However, this arrangement worked well until the First World War. The war produced severe shortages of manpower and created new security and intelligence duties for the police.
  • After the war in 1918, the need for security work was reduced and this made the future of the mounted police very uncertain. Eventually, it was decided that the police could either be absorbed into the army or expanded into a national police force. The government chose the latter course.
  • In November 1918, a legislation was passed allowing the RNWMP to absorb the Dominion Police (a federal force established in 1868 to guard government buildings and to enforce federal statutes). When the legislation took effect on February 1, 1920, the merged organization was named the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and headquarters were moved from Regina to Ottawa.
  • The force’s first main activities were the enforcement of narcotics laws, as well as security and intelligence work.
  • In August 1931, Major-General James MacBrien became commissioner. The seven years of his leadership marked a period of rapid change. The size of the RCMP nearly doubled in this period, from 1,350 to 2,350 men, as the force took over provincial policing in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It also took over the Preventive Service of the National Revenue Department.

TRAINING

  • All basic training of RCMP recruits is carried out at Depot Division in Regina.
  • The course for new cadets is six months in length, is offered in both official languages, and includes a variety of subjects from basic criminal law to driving and shooting, fitness, and police tactics.
  • Depot Division also gives courses for fisheries enforcement officers, correctional services personnel, native special constables and tribal police, and other regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Depot Division also operates a Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, AB.
  • Since 1974, women have been recruited into the force and undergo the same training as male constables. Upon graduation, female constables are assigned duties on the same basis as their male counterparts.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Royal Canadian Mounted Police worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police which is Canada’s national police force. Also known as “Mounties”, they have a long and proud history that dates back to the Confederation and the opening of the Canadian West.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Time to Dress Up
  • Multiple Choice
  • My Comics
  • Newsletter
  • Training the Forces
  • Dear Mr. Policeman
  • Timeline Tracking
  • Essay Writing
  • Word Search
  • Slogan-Making

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Link will appear as Royal Canadian Mounted Police Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 26, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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