Justin Trudeau’s top security adviser warned of RCMP’s struggles

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s top national security adviser warned earlier this year that the RCMP’s personal protective service was facing “unsustainable pressure” amid a surge of threats against public figures, a government document shows. 

Dated March 5, the briefing note from National Security and Intelligence Adviser Nathalie Drouin said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s branch for protective security was struggling to meet increased demand. The service, called the RCMP Protective Policing Program, had been forced to draw unspecified resources from other “important RCMP operations,” and was facing recruitment challenges as demand for its services increased “sharply” over the previous two years.

“It is critical that the gap is addressed, both in the short term, and longer term by establishing a sustainable program for protection of public figures,” said Drouin’s note, which was prepared for the top bureaucrat in the federal government, Privy Council clerk John Hannaford. 

“Should anything happen to a public figure, the result would be catastrophic, not just for affected individuals, but to public confidence in federal institutions.”

In an emailed statement to the Star, RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival declined to comment on how resources are used for security, but said the Mounties’ personal protective service is trying to overcome staffing “challenges” by attracting new recruits, transferring officers, and drawing from experience officers and reserve programs.

“There has never been a time in the RCMP’s history when we have experienced greater demands on our services, nor numbers this high of protectees requiring ongoing protection,” Percival said.

“We are working closely with our national and international partners, and our Protective Policing members continue to adapt and rise to the challenges of the ever-evolving protective landscape with the professionalism and the dedication that Canadians expect from the RCMP.”

Examples abound of threats and intimidation targeting elected officials, with protesters routinely appearing on Parliament Hill to heckle passing MPs and sometimes accuse them of “treason” against Canada. Drouin’s briefing note said that Pat McDonnell, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons responsible for security on Parliament Hill, had recorded a “significant increase in threat-related contacts” that targeted MPs, rising from 29 in 2019 to 231 in 2023. 

In June, the Star reported that somebody set fire to Liberal MP Brendan Hanley’s garage at his Yukon home, two years after a man was arrested and charged with arson after Mississauga MP Peter Fonseca’s constituency office was destroyed in a fire. NDP MP Charlie Angus — who has written about his experience with a “staggering escalation in intimidation” — has said an unnamed parliamentarian from British Columbia had their office window smashed by an axe-wielding protester. 

Two people were charged with threatening Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, while last year Liberal MP Tim Louis thanked police for arresting a man who allegedly threatened to kill him. Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, also voiced outrage and filed a police report in 2022 after a prominent far-right figure made a lewd statement about sexually assaulting Poilievre’s wife. The Star has reported that public officials discussed concerns about security upgrades at the residence provided for Poilievre and his family. 

Earlier this year, Liberal MP Pam Damoff said federal politics had grown so “toxic” and “hyperpartisan” that she is afraid to appear in public and decided not to seek re-election. 

Drouin’s briefing note also said that government and police needed to improve security for public figures ahead of the next federal election, which is set to take place in the fall of 2025 but could happen sooner if the Liberal minority government falls earlier to a confidence vote. 

“The RCMP and (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) are increasingly concerned by the vitriol in the public sphere and associated security challenges MPs may encounter during the next election period,” the note said. 

On top of efforts to speed up recruitment for the RCMP’s protective policing service, the Sergeant-at-Arms was also “exploring ways” to better support parliamentarians, and had received funding from the House of Commons to provide “personal and residential private security for opposition leaders.” 

Olivier Duhaime, a spokesperson for the Sergeant-at-Arms, declined to comment because their office does not disclose specific security information. He said their “highest priority continues to be the safety of the parliamentary community,” and that their office “works in close collaboration with parliamentary security, intelligence and law enforcement partners to ensure that it is prepared to respond to any eventuality.”