When was rcmp formed

The officers established a permanent post at Fort Macleod, Alberta, where approximately half of the Force was posted. The remaining members were either sent to Fort Edmonton or to Fort Pelly, Saskatchewan, which had been designated as headquarters. By , the Force had grown to 1, men, but in its future was threatened by the newly elected Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who wanted to reduce and eventually disband the NWMP.

However, support for the Force in the West prevailed, and it gained new prominence policing the Klondike Gold Rush. From to , the Force entered into contracts to police the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. These contracts ended due to the provinces' desire to create their own police forces.

The force immortalized by American movies as "Dudley Do-rights" who "always get their man" gave themselves a public relations party this summer. Canada's press was glad to go along for the ride.

The RCMP, known around the globe as benign "Mounties," commemorated early beginnings this summer, and identified the establishment of friendly relations with Native people as one of their guiding principles. According to the myth, Mounties came from the east to bring law and order to western plains overrun by American traders who abused Natives. But in reality, as early as and as recently as , the Mounted Police force was employed by its political masters, not to protect Aboriginal rights, but to suppress them.

According to RCMP historical accounts, which accompanied this summer's celebrations, a good rapport was established on the much-heralded Mountie "Great March West" in , when "officers in full dress uniform sat in powwow with a band of Sioux Indians. Mutual assurances of good will were exchanged and the peace pipe was passed.

Sent west to end the incidents of violence such as the massacre in of 30 Indians in the Cypress Hills by whites from Montana the force quickly accomplished its goal.

Influential Cree and Blackfoot chiefs signed treaties, largely because they were grateful to officers who helped negotiate them. However, the colossal cultural gap which characterized 19th century treaty negotiations resonates today as former Indian Affairs minister Jane Stewart was pressured to re-open treaty talks in Alberta because of unfulfilled promises and unresolved land and resource issues. Disputes over land jurisdiction broke the fragile faith that Mounties had inspired.

As each new province joined Canada, it took on policing duties within its borders. But the Northwest Territories, without provincial status, had to rely on the federal government for policing.

The federal policing body at the time was the Dominion Police, whose main role was to guard the parliament buildings. As such a small organization, it didn't have the size and structure to police the Northwest Territories. Today, we consider this the official birthdate of the RCMP. This was in response to an attack on First Nations peoples in the Cypress Hills by American whiskey traders and wolf-hunters.

Later that year, on November 3, the first recruits gathered at Lower Fort Garry, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, to start training. Along the way it set up posts, now known as divisions, each with smaller outposts, now known as detachments.