Feds Threaten to Pull RCMP out of B.C.

British Columbia would have to join Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland in creating their own provincial police if contract talks fall through.

The federal government says it will pull the RCMP out of British Columbia if a new contract isn't signed within two months, which would force the country's third most populous province to create a new provincial police agency in less than three years. The national police force's current contract with B.C. is set to expire next year, but talks between the province and Ottawa on renewing the deal have stalled. The deal would see the RCMP in B.C. for another 20 years at least, but the province's municipalities are concerned that they'll be paying too much to have Mounties patrol their streets. In response, the feds say they'll withdraw all RCMP officers from the province in 2014 if B.C. doesn't sign the deal as-is. That would mean setting up a new provincial police force, like the Ontario Provincial Police or the Surete du Quebec. Almost every jurisdiction in B.C. relies on the RCMP for its policing except for cities such as Vancouver and Victoria.