2021 PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION - TO THE GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR APRIL 2021 - NPF-FPN
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2021 PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION
TO THE GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
APRIL 2021
NPF Contact:
Sarah Nolan I Director, Government Relations I snolan@npf-fpn.comIntroduction
About the NPF
The National Police Federation (NPF) is the sole certified bargaining agent representing ~20,000
Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) across Canada and internationally. The
NPF provides strong, fair, and progressive representation to promote and enhance the rights of
RCMP Members. We are committed to negotiating fair and respectful compensation and
resources to maximize the safety and security of all our Members and the communities they
serve. The NPF was founded in 2016 and was certified by the Federal Public Sector Labour
Relations and Employment Board in July 2019.
RCMP Policing in Newfoundland
There are about 490 RCMP Members in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), serving more than
500,000 people with 43 detachments across the provincei. Under the Provincial Policing Services
Agreement, our Members in NL have been providing policing to approximately 82 per cent of the
geography of the province and approximately 55 per cent of the province’s population ii.
Our Members are proud and committed to providing quality, accountable, and transparent
policing services in partnership with the communities they serve. However, inadequate funding
for the NL RCMP has become increasingly difficult to manage while continuing to provide the
level of service that is required, especially in the contexts in which the RCMP operates. At the
same time, policing has experienced a significant increase in demand for services, that has far
outweighed any increases in the number of police and available resources.
Policing resource issues are chronic and significant in the province, and the NL RCMP has been
suffering from these resource shortages for several years. Most detachments in the province are
currently facing high vacancy rates and our Members, that are already stretched thin, are
increasingly being expected to expand their mandates.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these challenges. Throughout the pandemic,
RCMP Members have continued to provide dedicated police services, even under the most
stressful and challenging circumstances to ensure all communities are safe.
The RCMP has a proud history of serving Newfoundland and Labrador since 1949 and continue
to modernize and find new ways to efficiently and effectively improve police services to meet
growing demand while continuing to ensure the safety of all. However, we believe it is imperative
that the government address these challenges, especially financial and human resources, to allow
the RCMP to meet both current and future demands in the province.
2NPF Recommendations
1. Ensure adequate RCMP staffing levels to fulfil vacancies and policing mandate
The NL RCMP has experienced significant cutbacks, including wage freezes, which have impacted
staffing, training, well-being, and recruitment of Members, as well as other challenges. Human
resource shortages are a chronic problem in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2019,
Newfoundland and Labrador had an average of 173 officers per 100,000 populationiii. Since 2015,
the province saw an increase of only 5 officersiv, remaining below the national average of 185
officers per 100,000 population.
Staffing challenges are being further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year the RCMP
training Academy (Depot) closed due to the pandemic and has since reconvened cadet training,
but at a much lower capacity and graduation rate. Prior to the pandemic, Depot was targeting
about 1,200 new recruits in 2020, and was only able to graduate less than 600. Limited training
at Depot has continued into 2021, and the ongoing shortage of new cadets will be felt for years.
Without the necessary resources to hire more officers and provide appropriate equipment and
services, RCMP Members can and are becoming overworked, stressed, and exhausted, leading
to burn-out and safety issues which will further impact available resources. In addition, even if
financial resources are available, the province will not be able to recruit the number of officers
needed if Depot does not have the capacity to train new cadets. The lack of investments at Depot
are directly impacting the capacity to transfer new recruits to Newfoundland and Labrador, as
well as throughout Canada.
However, even without sufficient financial and human resources, the NL RCMP continues to
deliver excellent policing services. In 2017, Newfoundland and Labrador had the second lowest
homicide rates (0.76 per 100,000 population), following Prince Edward Island. Overall, Statistics
Canada found the province had a decrease in overall crime (-9%) and was one of only four
provinces to have a decrease in its severity of violent crime (-5%).v
The NPF strongly encourages the government to look at all areas within the current Provincial
Policing Services Agreement to ensure its full scope is being met. It is imperative that the NL
government address staffing challenges and increase resources for the RCMP to meet both
current and future demand.
We recommend:
I. Provide increased funding and programming to meet current and future RCMP staffing
levels in Newfoundland and Labrador, including the creation of a new 12 Member Relief
Team to fill vacancies and guarantee safety and health.
II. Increase the number of RCMP Members to meet current and future projection needs in
consultation with the RCMP and the NPF.
3III. Ensure that the federal government prioritizes cadet training levels at Depot with
increased funding to escalate training capacity.
IV. Ensure all levels of government have planned accordingly with respect to financial
impacts of competitive RCMP pay, including the financial impacts of a new collective
agreement.
2. Invest and Modernize the Public Safety Radio System
The radio system currently used by NL RCMP Members is outdated and dangerous for our
Members and the communities they serve. Although discussions on a new Radio System have
been ongoing for several years in the province, the modernization project is yet to be completed.
In 2019, the provincial government started seeking qualifications from businesses interested in
designing, building, operating, and maintaining a single, province-wide public safety radio system
to be used by government and first respondersvi. In March 2020, the first phase for Request for
Qualifications (RFQ) commenced, but the new system is not expected to be fully operating in the
next 24 monthsvii.
RCMP Members are increasingly being expected to cover larger duty areas of responsibility due
to human resource pressures. The outdated radio system, coupled with RCMP Members being
expected to cover expanded areas, compounds officer and public safety risks. To provide the
safety and security services Newfoundlanders deserve, our Members need reliable
communications capabilities that improve coordination and response for first responders and
other government agencies. The current system is not only failing, but it is creating additional
concerns, especially in rural, remote, and northern areas.
The NPF urges the government to fulfill this commitment and provide additional funding and
investments to complete the modernization of the province’s new Public Safety Radio System in
a timely manner.
We recommend:
I. Invest and expedite the process to build a new system and modernize Newfoundland and
Labrador’s Public Safety Radio System.
II. Complete the modernization in a timely manner and consult with stakeholders, including
the NL RCMP and the NPF, to assess and address the needs of police officers and first
responders in general.
4i
RCMP. Detachments Newfoundland and Labrador. https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en/find/NL
ii
2017-2018. Justice and Public Safety. Annual Report. [Online] Available at:
https://www.assembly.nl.ca/business/electronicdocuments/JPSAnnualReport2017-18.pdf
iii
2020. Police officers by level of policing, by province and territory, 2019 [Online] Available at:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2020001/article/00015/tbl/tbl04-eng.htm
iv
2016. Police officers by level of policing, by province and territory, 2015 [Online] Available at:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14323/tbl/tbl02-eng.htm
v
Police-reported Crime in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2017 [Online] Available at:
https://www.gov.nl.ca/vpi/files/NL-Fact-Sheet-1-Police-reported-Crime-in-NL-2017.pdf
vi
2019. Provincial Government to Modernize Public Safety Radio System [Online] Available at:
https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2019/tw/1001n01/
vii
2020. Fairness Advisor’s Interim Report For Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Request for
Qualifications [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.nl.ca/ti/files/Province-Wide-Radio-System-Project-Interim-
Fairness-Report.pdf
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