Canada’s State Police

150 years of the RCMP

Stripping away the myth of the RCMP, historian Greg Marquis offers an account of 150 years of a state police force acting on behalf of the wealthy and powerful. From its start policing Indigenous people in western Canada, the RCMP has gone on to surveil, harass and seek to jail labour organizers, leftist idealists, Quebec sovereigntists and now environmental activists. The RCMP has often made itself judge, jury, and executioner of who can live unmolested in Canada. Drawing upon all the available literature on the organization’s history, historian Greg Marquis lays bare 150 years of state police action. He highlights the force’s racism, sexism, misogyny, and internal dysfunctions. An invaluable resource, this book challenges the carefully constructed myths about the RCMP’s role in Canadian life.

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