RCMP Watch

Angela Hall (Regina Leader-Post) - RCMP cadets who come to Regina to train for six months will now get a $500 weekly allowance as the national police force aims to be competitive in today’s tight labour market, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday.

Harper said the federal government made the decision as the RCMP faces a “radically heightened” need for more recruits, as well as staying competitive in the hot job market, particularly in Western Canada.

The allowance means a cadet taking part in the 24-week training program will get $12,000.

“While there’s no possibility, none, that we will relax the RCMP’s rigorous training and recruiting standards, there are other things we can do to improve the recruiting system,” Harper said in making the announcement at the RCMP Heritage Centre in front of a room full of cadets.

The allowance takes effect immediately.

“This is competitive with other law enforcement agencies and it will help cadets meet financial obligations — car payments, mortgages, student loans — that they cannot ignore during their training,” Harper said.

Harper said the RCMP expects to recruit more than 8,000 new officers over the next five years, which is equivalent to nearly half of the total current force strength.

Supt. Glen Siegersma, in charge of the national RCMP recruiting program, said that until 1993 recruits were hired and received officer pay right away. The format then changed to provide cadets an allowance, but the practice had ceased by the end of the 1990s, he said.

The RCMP needs to be competitive to continue to attract “the best and the brightest,” Siegersma said.

“I think it opens up some other doors for people who are looking at us as an employer and saying, ‘I just can’t afford to do the 24 weeks without any compensation,’ ” he said.

The RCMP academy, which hopes to graduate more than 1,700 cadets in the 2008-09 fiscal year, does cover the cost of food and shelter for cadets.

The announcement of an allowance was cheered by cadets who learned they’ll soon have some cash in their pockets — or some to send home — during their six-month stays in Regina.

Chris Coulter, 31, said coming to Regina for six months is a financial sacrifice for cadets as well as for their families.

“I have a fiancee back home in Thunder Bay so I’ll be on the phone with her tonight to let her know the good news,” Coulter said.

Cadets spend a lot of cash on little things such as laundry and shoe polish, he said. But he said that contributing to his bills at home will be a big part of where his money goes.

“It’s a big weight off my shoulders, and also a big weight off a lot of the cadets’ shoulders here as well,” he said.

Harper also said the RCMP will make a “greater effort” to accommodate officer deployment preferences, and will inform cadets about their likely postings before the end of the application process.

Siegersma told reporters that the RCMP is a Canadian organization with nation-wide demands, but explained the force is aiming to “manage the expectations” of people as to where they might be posted.

“The operational needs of this organization will always come first,” Siegersma said. “But what we’re trying to do is manage the expectations so we can come to a reasonable consensus with the individual as to here’s where we can maybe put you …”

EARNING THEIR STETSONS

Duration of cadet training is 24 weeks, during which, prior to Friday’s announcement, cadets were not paid. They are provided room and board. The RCMP recommends cadets budget between $4,500-$5,000 for the purchase of academic supplies, uniform items, footwear, equipment maintenance supplies and spending money during their stay at depot. A recent survey of cadets indicated that they spent an average of $4,600 to $5,000 while at the RCMP Academy.