The RCMP (Mounties) — Canada's National Police Force

# The RCMP (Mounties) — Canada's National Police Force

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) — commonly known as the Mounties — is one of the most famous police forces in the world and an iconic Canadian symbol. The citizenship test reliably asks about the RCMP. Here is what you need to know.

The RCMP is Canada's national police force. It has a dual role:

1. Federal policing — enforcing federal laws (drug trafficking, organised crime, customs, immigration fraud, cybercrime) across all of Canada.
2. Contract policing — serving as the provincial and local police in 8 provinces (all except Ontario and Quebec, which have their own provincial forces), all 3 territories, and over 150 municipalities.

With about 20,000 regular members and a further 10,000+ civilian employees, the RCMP is one of the largest police organisations in the world.

Founding

The RCMP was founded in 1873 by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald's government as the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). Its original mission: bring law and order to the newly acquired western territories (purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870) before American whisky traders and lawlessness spread north.

The March West (1874)

In 1874, about 275 officers marched west from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba to what is now southern Alberta — a journey of over 1,300 km through largely uncharted prairie. They established Fort Macleod and began policing the West.

Becoming the RCMP (1920)

In 1920, the North-West Mounted Police merged with the Dominion Police (which policed eastern Canada) and was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The RCMP's most famous symbol is the Red Serge — the scarlet dress uniform worn for ceremonial occasions and public events. It includes:

• A high-collared scarlet tunic (jacket)
• A brown Stetson campaign hat
• Brown riding breeches and boots
• A Sam Browne belt

The Red Serge is one of Canada's most recognisable images internationally — it appears on tourism materials, souvenir shops, and postage stamps.

The RCMP Musical Ride is a ceremonial equestrian performance where 32 officers and their horses execute precision drills and formations set to music. It tours Canada and performs internationally, showcasing the RCMP's mounted-police heritage.

The RCMP motto is "Maintiens le droit" — French for "Uphold the right." It reflects the force's founding purpose: maintaining law and order in remote communities.

The Mounties are associated with the saying "The Mounties always get their man" — a phrase coined by American newspapers in the 1800s to describe the NWMP's reputation for tracking down fugitives across vast distances.

Ontario has the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Quebec has the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). In these provinces, the RCMP handles only federal-law enforcement and does not do general policing.

Common citizenship-test questions:

• What does RCMP stand for? *(Royal Canadian Mounted Police)*
• When was the RCMP founded? *(1873, as the North-West Mounted Police)*
• What is the role of the RCMP? *(Canada's national police force)*
• What is the RCMP's famous uniform called? *(The Red Serge)*

For more Canadian symbols, see [The Beaver — Canada's National Animal](/blog/beaver-national-symbol-canada) and [The Crown in Canada](/blog/canadian-crown-symbol-explained).

Try our [free practice test](/practice-test) — it includes RCMP questions in the same format you will see on test day.