RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme in Ottawa on Aug. 16.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he’s open to a former cabinet minister’s suggestion that protecting federal politicians from violence be handled by an agency other than the Mounties.
Mr. Duheme, who worked in protection earlier in his RCMP career, was responding to the proposal from Catherine McKenna, who was subject to harassment while Ottawa Centre MP from 2015 to 2021.
Politicians across the country have increasingly been subject to harassment and threats, raising concerns about their safety. Mr. Duheme said he was speaking about the protection the RCMP provides for federal politicians, officials and diplomats.
“I am always open to different ways of doing things,” Mr. Duheme said in an interview with The Globe and Mail on Friday when asked about Ms. McKenna’s proposal.
“Let’s look at some of the key areas we must address, and what is the best way to address these. If it’s an increase of resources, okay. If it’s not that, if it’s something else, let’s explore what the options are.”
In a July interview with The Globe, Ms. McKenna, a former environment minister under Justin Trudeau, said the lack of resources for the RCMP has hindered its ability to protect federal leaders.
Also, she said that if the RCMP cannot improve its capacity to protect politicians, then Canada should consider an agency akin to the U.S. Secret Service – a standalone entity that provides security to the president, vice-president, former presidents, their families, and visiting heads of state.
“We’ve had discussions over the years, with the Privy Council Office, with Public Safety to explore different options on the way forward for protective policing,” said Mr. Duheme, who has been the force’s commissioner since 2023. “Those discussions are still ongoing.”
The Globe and Mail has reported on a shortage of officers to handle protective duties, with a 2022 internal memo stating that the police force urgently needed to fill at least 235 close-protection officer positions.
RCMP has struggled to staff unit dedicated to protection of politicians, records show
On that issue, Mr. Duheme said the problem is that new officers are going to the RCMP’s training academy in Regina and then to the front lines of policing, meaning not enough officers are made available for such federal duties as protection.
The commissioner said Friday that the force is looking at changes to allow rookie officers interested in close protection to have immediate training in that area.
On another note, Mr. Duheme said he is awaiting a review from his team on lessons that can be learned from the attempted assassination of former U.S. president Donald Trump last month.
“Everybody asks themselves, ‘How could this happen?’ ” he said. “I’m going to reserve my judgment or opinions because I don’t have all the information.”
He said members of the force have looked at the incident, but he has not yet been briefed on key lessons that the force can take away from the incident.
“I can commit to you that we will be reviewing everything that we have, information wise, to see how we can better ourselves because if we don’t progress as an organization, that’s not good,” he said.
Mr. Duheme said the job of close protection is challenging, citing a recent incident in which a man spat in the face of former public safety minister Marco Mendicino some weeks ago as he walked to his office in Ottawa.
The RCMP commissioner said that even with protection, the incident could have occurred, noting that there is tension between protection and politicians seeking to engage with members of the public. “There are some things sometimes that it’s difficult to prevent, he said.
The commissioner also said the force is “slowly ramping up” to prepare for protection issues around the federal election, expected next fall.
At one point during the past federal election in 2021, a former local riding executive for the People’s Party of Canada threw gravel at Justin Trudeau while the Liberal Leader was campaigning in London, Ont. The man was eventually sentenced to 90 days house arrest.
Campaign events that year featuring Mr. Trudeau were routinely interrupted by protesters angered over COVID-19 vaccine policies.
Mr. Duheme said the 2021 election was unprecedented in terms of people showing their discontent with elected officials.
“I am assuming that as we move into the next election cycle, judging on what we’re seeing in the social space, I think we’re going to be seeing something similar.”