SASKATOON, Sask. — The Saskatchewan NDP has again called out the government over its Saskatchewan Marshals Service, questioning whether the service is adding policing capacity to the province or simply drawing experienced officers away from established police services already struggling to recruit and retain members.
NDP Community Safety critic Hugh Gordon believes the provincial government should invest in established police agencies such as the RCMP and municipal forces rather than building a separate service that has fallen well short of its recruitment targets.
Gordon said Chief Marshal Rob Cameron had committed to hiring 50 officers by the end of 2025, but the service has barely reached half that target. He criticized Premier Scott Moe for being out of touch with how to recruit officers and instead potentially wasting millions of dollars to build an unnecessary SWAT team.
He added that recruitment is particularly concerning because the Marshals are competing with police services that have already invested in training and developing experienced officers. Every officer recruited creates vacancies that the original agency must spend money and resources to fill.
“It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Gordon said, adding that he asked Community Safety Minister Michael Weger how many officers the Marshals had recruited from services including the RCMP and municipal police forces but did not receive a satisfactory answer.
He also asked what additional public safety value the Marshals provide when compared with an officer added to an established police service with a clearly defined mandate, saying an RCMP officer has a known role, responsibilities and policing function. In contrast, the Marshals’ mandate remains less clear.
“You add a body to the Marshals. I can’t tell you what they’re going to do. They can’t tell you what they’re going to do,” Gordon said, arguing that taxpayer dollars would be better spent increasing the number of officers in established agencies that already have the infrastructure, training and support to provide broad-based policing.
Gordon’s concerns come as the government faces questions over plans for specialized equipment for a Marshals response unit, including tactical gear and a sound cannon, despite the service's recruitment challenges.
He said the government appears to be putting equipment ahead of the officers needed to use it and questioned how the Marshals fit into the province’s broader public safety strategy, adding that the fundamental problem with the Marshals remains their lack of a clearly defined mandate.
He said the service could have value if the province identified a specific policing gap that it was designed to fill, rather than duplicating responsibilities already handled by the RCMP and municipal police services, where he said the funding would be put to much better use.
“If the province came up with a defined mandate for them to do some kind of law enforcement, where there’s a gap, where there’s an area that’s lacking that other police forces are unable to do, let’s deal with that,” Gordon said. Gordon is a former RCMP officer who specialized in commercial fraud investigations.
He added that the problem with the Marshals Service is that it is also doing the same things other policing agencies do. He believes Saskatchewan would be better served by strengthening the RCMP rather than moving away from it as the province’s primary policing service.
Gordon said the RCMP has a long history in Saskatchewan, established infrastructure and the capacity to provide broad-based policing. At the same time, the existing policing agreement also provides a financial advantage to the province and municipalities.
Marshals will not replace police services
The provincial government said in a statement that the Marshals Service is intended to complement, not replace, existing police services by adding law-enforcement capacity, and that communities need to know that public safety investments are delivering results.
The government said police services have the resources they need to keep communities safe, and the Marshals Service is intended to complement existing policing programs by providing additional law enforcement capacity to support operations across the province.
“The RCMP remains Saskatchewan's provincial police service of jurisdiction, and our government continues to make significant investments in policing across Saskatchewan,” added the government, which invested close to $380 million in various policing initiatives.
Investments include $310M for RCMP operations through the Provincial Police Service Agreement, $26M for the RCMP First Nations Policing Program, $37.6M through the Municipal Police Grant Program, and nearly $6M to support SCAN and the hiring of approximately 100 new municipal police officers.
Another $190,000 was allocated through the new Small Town and Rural Police Services Grant Program, providing $10,000 for every sworn officer serving with eligible small town and rural police services.
“We also recognize that recruiting and retaining police officers is a challenge being faced by jurisdictions across Canada. Police services and law enforcement organizations across Canada are operating in an increasingly competitive recruitment environment,” added the government’s statement.
“The Auditor General of Canada recently noted that RCMP vacancies remain a national issue despite ongoing recruitment efforts and improved application numbers. The Government of Saskatchewan remains committed to supporting RCMP recruitment and retention efforts and will continue to fully fund the Saskatchewan RCMP's authorized complement of 1,066 officers.”
The government said they are taking proactive steps to attract qualified candidates. Earlier this year, the province's national law enforcement advertising campaign generated nearly 14 million impressions, more than 114,000 clicks, and over 100,000 visits to Saskatchewan.ca, helping raise awareness of law enforcement career opportunities and build interest among potential recruits.
The government added that, aside from these investments, it also launched the national "In Saskatchewan, it all lives here" law enforcement recruitment campaign this spring, developed in partnership with the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police.
The campaign brings together the RCMP, Saskatchewan Marshals Service, and municipal police services to attract candidates from across Canada and highlight law enforcement as a rewarding, community-focused career.
“Recruitment efforts for the SMS have focused on experienced police officers, new recruits, and civilian staff. The SMS provides an additional career pathway for experienced police officers who want to continue working in policing in Saskatchewan. Any decisions moving forward will be consistent with the strategic direction provided by the Minister,” the government said.
“For now, the Specialized Response Unit is not moving forward, and no equipment will be purchased for this unit. Our focus remains on recruitment, supporting our policing partners and ensuring Saskatchewan communities have the law enforcement resources they need to keep our communities strong, safe, and secure.”
