RCMP says it will deepen FBI ties despite warnings of over-reliance

The RCMP says it will continue to strengthen its operational partnership with the FBI, even as a prominent critic warns the national police force has grown dangerously reliant on its U.S. counterpart.

"Given the shared border between Canada and the United States, the RCMP works closely with U.S. law enforcement partners," RCMP spokeswoman Jessica Kingsbury said, adding that "expanded operational collaboration with U.S. agencies has enhanced threat identification, information sharing, and contributed to high-profile arrests."

However, in a new book, University of Toronto law professor Kent Roach argues the Mounties have become too dependent on the FBI for tips about impending terrorist threats and for prosecuting Canada's most-wanted criminals in U.S. courts.

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"We have to imagine a world where the Americans, and specifically the FBI, may be less reliable partners," Roach said in an interview. "We need to be able to do these complex national security, and also financial crime and organized crime prosecutions, as part of our sovereignty."

He writes that this reliance does not address obstacles in the Canadian justice system for tackling complex crime and exposes Canadian police to U.S. administrations accused of politicizing policing.

The close ties have been highlighted in several recent high-profile cases.

In January, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme appeared alongside FBI officials as former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, a top FBI fugitive, was escorted off a plane after his arrest in Mexico on drug trafficking and murder conspiracy charges.

"This is a great day for public safety in Canada," Duheme said at the time, noting the RCMP supplied crucial information to help dismantle Wedding's alleged gang.

About 30 individuals tied to his gang have been arrested under U.S. laws, with at least 12 fighting extradition from Canada.

In July, the RCMP and FBI announced U.S. charges against 37 people allegedly tied to gangs connected to Indian crime lord Lawrence Bishnoi.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges Bishnoi directed political assassinations, including the 2023 slaying of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.

Duheme was quoted in the U.S. statement, saying "together, we disrupted the operations of organized criminals."

The partnership continued despite an apparent threat from FBI Director Kash Patel on social media in late August to withdraw from the relationship over a CBC/Radio-Canada editorial guideline.

The RCMP made inquiries but found no indication that intelligence sharing from the FBI had been interrupted, according to three national-security sources.

In late September, the agencies held a joint press conference in Los Angeles to announce a US$1-million reward for information leading to the arrest of an Indian gangster allegedly tied to Nijjar's assassination.

Peter German, a retired RCMP deputy commissioner, said cases like these show Canadian police are getting better at leveraging vital U.S. relationships.

"The United States is 10 times larger than us, it has a 10 times larger law enforcement footprint around the world," German said. "The U.S. is much more agile at conducting a criminal investigation than we are in Canada."

Roach's book, Red Alert, also criticizes the response of former prime minister Justin Trudeau to U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed emergency tariffs on Canada in 2025 over fentanyl concerns.

Trudeau promised to be a better security partner, pledging new funds for more Mounties and leasing Blackhawk helicopters to patrol the border.

"I think Trudeau was panicking over Trump," Roach said.

Roach adds that the federal government has yet to address longstanding calls for structural RCMP reform, which has left the FBI filling gaps. A 2023 parliamentary report said Canada might need a new national police force if it could not better enable the RCMP to tackle transnational crime.

Nosy Mag reported in September that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada is building renewed partnerships with China and India under a policy of 'values-based realism.'

With files from The Globe and Mail