The cost of keeping the RCMP’s red serge on Canada’s streets is set to increase, as the Mounties first ever union wants to raise officers pay.
RCMP officers were prohibited from organizing into a union for most of their history, but the Supreme Court struck down the law preventing it in 2015.
The National Police Federation was certified as the force’s union last year, with overwhelming support from officers. Last week, Brian Sauvé, a sergeant and 12-year-veteran of the force, was elected as the organization’s first president.
Sauvé said he has been talking with members all along and their demands have shifted, but now they are focused on pay.
“If you were talking to them two years ago, their first priority was resource levels,” he said. “If you’re talking to them today, it’s money. That’s their number one priority.”
Mounties make less than officers in most municipal forces right across the country. Working for the RCMP an officer starts at an annual salary of $53,144. That rises quickly to the point where they can make $86,110 in their third year.
[…]
