Canada’s State Police

150 years of the RCMP

by Greg Marquis

The 150 year legacy of the RCMP, Canada’s national state police.

Stripping away the myth of the RCMP, historian Greg Marquis offers an account of 150 years of a state police force acting on behalf of the wealthy and powerful.

From its start policing Indigenous people in western Canada, the RCMP has gone on to surveil, harass and seek to jail labour organizers, leftist idealists, Quebec sovereigntists and now environmental activists. The RCMP has often made itself judge, jury, and executioner of who can live unmolested in Canada.

Drawing upon all the available literature on the organization's history, historian Greg Marquis lays bare 150 years of state police action. He highlights the force’s racism, sexism, misogyny, and internal dysfunctions.  An invaluable resource, this book challenges the carefully constructed myths about the RCMP’s role in Canadian life.

About the Author

Greg Marquis

GREG MARQUIS is a historian at the University of New Brunswick. He specializes in Canadian history and criminal justice theory. He has developed a number of courses in the area of law and society, and is on the editorial board of Acadiensis. He is the author of multiple books including, The Vigilant Eye: Policing Canada from 1867-9/11, Truth & Honour: The Death of Richard Oland and the Trial of Dennis Oland, and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Year That Canada Was Cool. Greg Marquis lives in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

Subjects (BISAC)

Subjects

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top