The contracting of Royal Canadian Mounted Police services is conducted through ‘Police Services Agreements’ that are negotiated between the Canadian federal government and the provinces, the Northwest Territories, and municipalities. These agreements are initiated on behalf of provinces or municipalities that would like to request the services of the RCMP. Since the 20th century, all provincial policing agreements, or ‘contacts, have had a life span of twenty years and are to be re-evaluated and renewed at the applicable time. Most recently, these contracts were renewed in March of 2012 and are set to expire on March 31, 2032. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police provides provincial policing services to eight provinces, excluding Ontario
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Today, most regions that have entered into contracts with the RCMP have done so based on affordability. Police services are constitutionally entrenched as the responsibility of the Canadian provinces and territories, the majority of whom delegate this responsibility to their municipalities. Under the ‘Police Act,’ municipalities with populations of 5,000 and over are legally required to provide their own law enforcement. This means that each municipality is individually responsible for the creation and funding of their respective police forces. Unfortunately, providing such an institution is quite costly and is the largest expense in a municipality's total budget, costing them about 20% of their net income. Municipalities with smaller budgets often turn to contracting with the provincial government for their existing RCMP services to resolve this budget deficit. Currently, provincial police agreements with the federal police force allow the provinces to sub-contract the RCMP’s provincial force to the municipalities in need. Municipal agreements are based on several different cost-sharing formulas that are dependent on population size and when a municipality first signs its first policing agreement with the RCMP. A municipality with less than 15,000 citizens shares 70% of the total cost with the federal government, whereas a population greater than 15,000 shares 90%. Municipalities that have never had an agreement with the RCMP prior to 1991 must pay 100% of the cost of the officers (RCMP, 2013). The Minister may, with the approval of the Treasury Board, in any arrangement made under subsections (1) or (2), agree on and determine the amount of money to be paid by the province or municipality for the services or the force (RCMP Act,
Today, most regions that have entered into contracts with the RCMP have done so based on affordability. Police services are constitutionally entrenched as the responsibility of the Canadian provinces and territories, the majority of whom delegate this responsibility to their municipalities. Under the ‘Police Act,’ municipalities with populations of 5,000 and over are legally required to provide their own law enforcement. This means that each municipality is individually responsible for the creation and funding of their respective police forces. Unfortunately, providing such an institution is quite costly and is the largest expense in a municipality's total budget, costing them about 20% of their net income. Municipalities with smaller budgets often turn to contracting with the provincial government for their existing RCMP services to resolve this budget deficit. Currently, provincial police agreements with the federal police force allow the provinces to sub-contract the RCMP’s provincial force to the municipalities in need. Municipal agreements are based on several different cost-sharing formulas that are dependent on population size and when a municipality first signs its first policing agreement with the RCMP. A municipality with less than 15,000 citizens shares 70% of the total cost with the federal government, whereas a population greater than 15,000 shares 90%. Municipalities that have never had an agreement with the RCMP prior to 1991 must pay 100% of the cost of the officers (RCMP, 2013). The Minister may, with the approval of the Treasury Board, in any arrangement made under subsections (1) or (2), agree on and determine the amount of money to be paid by the province or municipality for the services or the force (RCMP Act,