Dominion Police
The Dominion Police, although the federal police of Canada, was mainly active in the Eastern Canada region, while the Royal Northwest Mounted Police handled the expansive and sparsely populated Northwest Territories of Western Canada. In May 1918, the 969-member Dominion Police was reassigned under the Department of Militia and Defence and became a civilian wing of the Canadian Military Police Corps (CMPC). In the early 1900s, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police had declined as the Northwest Territories was divided into new provinces and territories, and due to the general unpopularity of the force for conduct during industrial disputes such as the Winnipeg General Strike. On 1 February 1920, the civilian members of the CMPC, including the Dominion Police, were merged with the Royal Northwest Mounted Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the new federal police force of Canada, and the CMPC was disbanded on 1 December 1920.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Quebec
In 1920, the Federal Government authorized the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to establish its first detachment in Quebec, specifically in Montreal. Staffed with ten members, this office with barracks was housed in an old building located at 283 Sherbrooke Street, across from the main entrance of McGill University. The building was demolished in 1940. The officer commanding this detachment was a superintendent named Wilcox, who was known mostly for his work in Western Canada. Later that year the RCMP opened a one-man detachment in Quebec City, thus serving the two largest urban centres in the province. Shortly after, the RCMP provided police presence along the international border to collect customs fees and to secure the border from illegal immigrants.