Sask. Public Safety Ministry says it will fund more Mounties, if RCMP can recruit them

Recruit them and we will pay.

That's the basis of an agreement Saskatchewan's Public Safety Ministry is working on with RCMP.

Saskatchewan's finance minister released the province's latestbudget on Wednesday, laying out $641 million for the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.

A big chunk ($228 million) is being doled out to the Saskatchewan RCMP, with another $21.6 million designated specifically for the RCMP's First Nations policing program.

But there could be more money put toward recruiting officers.

The ministry is working withthe National Police Federation the union thatrepresents thousands of RCMP members as well as the RCMP and the federal government to hire more Mounties.

The developing commitment is similar to thepre-budget demand the union released in January, asking for $100 million over five years to hire 300 regular members.

Provincial Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said Saskatchewan'smoney is on the table to fund positions when they are filled.

"The federal government isn't able to allocate any RCMP officers without funding, and the province can't fund RCMP officers without actually having them on the ground," Merriman said.

"We aren't going to fund positions that aren't being filled."

Those dollars will help to fill what Merriman said is a 15 to 18 per cent officer vacancy in the province.

That money wasn't included in the budget, Merriman said, because there's no fixed amount the province would spend on Mountie members since they haven't yet been hired.

"Sowhat we're going to do is an agreement that if they do bring some in, we will pay them," he said.

"If I have to go back to supplementary estimates and ask the Treasury Board to fund another 100 RCMP officers, there's going to be no issues on our side."

Saskatchewan contributes 70 per cent of the cost for RCMP members and the federal government fielding the remaining 30 per cent, he said.

The Morning Edition - Sask15:59Sask. Finance Minister Donna Harpauer talks about her most recent, and final, budget

The provincial government unveiled its budget projections for the 2024-25 fiscal year on March 20. It is the final budget from Finance Minister Donna Harpauer, who is not running again in the upcoming election, and is the last budget from her government before the next provincial election.

More recruits 'agame changer': RCMP

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer for Saskatchewan RCMP, said while there was a decrease in the number of applicants to the force in recent years, that number is rebounding.

"What we've been doing is having to reallocate funding from one position to fund an area where there's more violent crime and addressing some vacancies there," she said.

She said the ability to avoid that issue with more hires "is really a game changer for us."

But Morgan Buckingham, who represents Saskatchewan Mounties as part of the police federation, said he's disappointed with both the absence of the money for their request andthe overall dollar amount.

The funding for RCMP in the latest budget increased by about $4.3 million from last year, according to the province's documents a two per cent increase, which "doesn't even meet inflation," Buckingham said.

However, he is optimistic about the union's meetings with Merriman to fund members beyond the budget spending.

Inquests recommended more officers

Nearly two months ago, the public coroner's inquest into the 2022 stabbing rampage at James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby village of Weldon during which 11 people were killed and 17 injuredended with 29 recommendations, some of them directed at the RCMP.

The recommendations suggested the Saskatchewan RCMP consider hiring more people for specialized teams: the crime reduction, warrant enforcement and trafficking response teams.

Merriman said the RCMP have received more money this year overall but not specifically to address the recommendations.

"We're trying to bring more officers into our communities to make sure that they're safe," he said.

WATCH | How a Sask. First Nations community hopes to usethe community safety officerprogram to stifle violence:

How northern Sask. communities plagued by high crime rates are trying to stifle the violence

11 months ago

Duration 2:04

Crime rates in northern Saskatchewan are among the highest in Canada. Some communities have even declared a state of emergency this fall because of escalating violence and while RCMP respond to crimes in the north, some First Nations are banking on community policing to make a difference.

The public safety ministry put aside $21.6 million for the RCMP's First Nations policing program and another $7 million was set aside for the new Saskatchewan Marshal Service.

The marshalservice,announced in November 2022, is expected tobe operational in 2026 with70 officers, at an annual cost of$20 million.

Saskatchewan's choice to spend money on the service has faced mixed response,including criticism fromthe National Police Federation.

There was also just over $1million assigned to the ongoing First Nations community safety officerpilot program.

Boiled down, the program enables community officers with a presence in the region to address petty crime, freeing up resources for RCMP officers to tackle issues like drugs and violence.

Some communities have told CBC that safety officers haveplayed a role in addressing high crime rates, while others say they are pursuing the program in hopes of reducing the amount of violent crime.

When asked why the safety officer program received substantially less when measured against the marshalservice, Merriman said the CSO program has already started, whereas the marshals service has initial startup costs,like vehicles and equipment, that need to be covered.

Blue Sky49:51Budget breakdown

Political science professor Tom MacIntosh joined host Leisha Grebinski to break down the provincial budget. We heard from CUPE about concerns over staffing and how important retention of health-care workers is, and from a Weyburn woman recovering after a double mastectomy, including her reaction to a new breast assessment centre. We also heard from someone on SAID about what a three per cent increase means in her life, and we heard what mental health supports are needed in Pinehouse and how the budget will affect that community.