Policing in Canada Is Failing. Here’s Why Nobody Wants to Admit It—And What

Policing in Canada Is Failing. Here’s Why Nobody Wants to Admit It—And What That Means Geopolitically.

By Gerard King | Cyber Analyst | www.gerardking.dev 

A Broken System, Ignored

On paper, Canada is a model of democratic policing—until it isn’t. From the Nova Scotia massacre to the politicized raids on peaceful protesters, the abuse of policing power has become normalized. Yet the real scandal isn’t just the failures—it’s that most leaders and officials act like they don’t exist.

1. The Nova Scotia Massacre: A Systemic Collapse

The Mass Casualty Commission laid bare a chain of systemic failure during the 2020 Portapique shooting. The RCMP had outdated equipment, insufficient training, broken communication, and a dysfunctional command structure. A police force meant to protect became a tragic liability.
The Guardian

2. “Operational Independence” Is a Smokescreen

Reports like the Public Order Emergency Commission point to systemic confusion: police claiming “operational independence” while failing coordination during crises like the Ottawa occupation. That lack of clarity renders institutions easily weaponized by political winds.
Policy Options

3. Militarization vs. Public Safety

Canadian police now resemble paramilitary units: armored vehicles, sound cannons, tactical gear—that belongs on battlefields, not Main Street. This trend undermines public trust and paints communities as adversaries—not citizens.
rabble.caWikipedia

4. Private Police With No Oversight

Private police forces performing law enforcement tasks lack democratic accountability. They operate in the shadows—untethered by public oversight or the rule of law. That’s not efficient policing; it’s privatized jurisdiction.
UTP Publishing

5. Data Collection Designed for Obfuscation

New tech tools—facial recognition, big data, drones—are touted as modernizing policing. But a crucial study found widespread disregard for data quality. If your analytics are garbage, no amount of technology can fix moral hazard.
SAGE Journals

6. Civilian Oversight: Deeply Flawed and Fragmented

Many police forces still investigate themselves. Oversight bodies are under-resourced, fragmented, and too weak to effectively deter misconduct. The “blue wall of silence” persists because actors are allowed to police themselves.
Wiley Online Library

7. Activism Isn’t Protest—It’s a Threat

When Toronto’s “Indigo 11” peace protesters were subjected to early-morning raids by dozens of police officers for political expression, it was not public safety. It was political policing. Democracy doesn’t function this way.
MR Online

8. Local Militias, Not Modern Criminal Intelligence Units

The RCMP still trains and operates with a rural, paramilitary mindset—less focused on cybercrime or transnational threats. Provinces outsource local enforcement, diluting competency against real threats like organized crime.
schoolpublicpolicy

9. Stalled Reform: Legislation Lost in the Archives

Ontario’s landmark 2019 police reform bill has languished: training standards diluted, oversight provisions weakened, and systemic change repeatedly postponed. Reform serves as a shield, not a solution.
Policy OptionsWikipedia

10. Missing and Murdered: Justice Denied

The Missing Women Commission (2010–2012) exposed systemic failure to protect Indigenous and marginalized women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Many recommendations remain unimplemented. That neglect wasn’t incompetence—it was indifference.
Wikipedia

11. Improper Policing of Public Health Crises

Police continue to be frontline actors in behavioral health and drug-related incidents—without the training or infrastructure. Their involvement damages trust, inhibits harm-reduction efforts, and undermines community health.
BioMed Central

12. Limited Oversight and No Shared Data

Canada lacks a coordinated national centre for policing research. Data is siloed, inaccessible, and unshared—stifling accountability. When decisions are made without real evidence, institutions fail—and so does democracy.
noscommunes.ca

Geopolitical Fallout: A Country Losing Its Moral Authority

We boast about rule of law and human rights—except when civil order fails at our back door, or peaceful dissent is met with paramilitary force.

Foreign powers notice. Weak crisis response, political policing, disregard for marginalized victims, and lack of oversight signal a jurisdiction vulnerable to interference—ripe for manipulation.

We are no longer a “fireproof house.” We are leaking democracy—and neglect is the ignition.

It's Time to Say What No One Else Will

Policing in Canada is a geopolitical embarrassment. Not because of a few bad cops, but because the system is unchecked, politicized, and self-preserving—not citizen-centric.

We can fix this—not with more tech or performative reforms—but with political courage, national oversight, and a willingness to rebuild from the ground up.

Otherwise, silence—and inaction—will become our legacy.