Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP), founded in 1873, with the Dominion Police founded in 1868. The former was originally named the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), and was given the "Royal" prefix by King Edward VII in 1904. Much of the present-day organization's symbolism has been inherited from its days as the NWMP and RNWMP, including the distinctive Red Serge uniform, paramilitary heritage, and mythos as a frontier force. The RCMP-GRC wording is protected under the Trade-marks Act.
Despite its name, the RCMP is no longer an actual mounted police force, with horses only being used at ceremonial events. The predecessor NWMP and RNWMP had relied on horses for transport for most of their history, though the RNWMP was switching to automobiles at the time of the merger.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Quebec
In 2012, the RCMP was awarded the Healthy Enterprise – Elite certification by the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ). Through this certification, the BNQ acknowledged the commitment made by “C” Division to take concrete action to better the health and wellness of its employees.).
The RCMP is the first federal agency and the first police force in Canada to be awarded this certification. The BNQ praised the RCMP for the quality of its infrastructure, including fitness facilities in almost all of its detachments, and for taking steps to promote healthy living among its employees.