RCMP's ability to defend national security is eroding, report warns

The RCMP's federal wing is at a "critical juncture" and its ability to police key files like foreign interference, terrorism and financial crime is on the line, says a recent report from the Mounties' independent advisory board.

"Federal policing has now arrived at a critical juncture of its sustainability, which present risks for the national security and safety of Canada, its people, and its interests," says the report, shared with CBC News this week.

NSICOP's November report said federal policing is not "as effective, efficient, flexible or accountable as it needs to be to protect Canada and Canadians from the most significant national security and criminal threats."

The task force's conclusions come as no shock to Garry Clement, who spent 30 years with RCMP, starting as a uniformed officer before eventually moving to the money laundering investigations unit.

Clement, now the chief anti-money laundering officer at VersaBank, said he believes the heart of the problem is the long-standing tension between the RCMP's contract and federal policing responsibilities.

A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the department agrees with the Management Advisory Board "on the critical importance of the RCMP's federal policing functions to the security of Canada."