In the 2025/26 fiscal year, Saskatchewan RCMP welcomed 89 newly trained officers, but the force still has a vacancy rate of 14.6 per cent. (Image Credit: paNOW/File photo)

By Teena Monteleone

Federal force

Saskatchewan RCMP facing 14.6 per cent vacancy rate amid national staffing shortages

Mar 24, 2026 | 5:31 PM

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Saskatchewan is working to address ongoing staff shortages – a strain felt by RCMP nationwide. The current vacancy rate across the province is 14.6 per cent, up about 1 per cent from August of last year.

That figure, provided by Saskatchewan RCMP, does not include “soft vacancies” such as officers on sick or parental leave, which suggests the real-time staffing pressures could be even higher.

The numbers come as a new report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada found the RCMP was short about 3,400 front-line officers in fall 2025. The audit also determined Saskatchewan was short 39 officers based on operational demand, while B.C. wound up with 110 more new officers than required.

Auditor General Karen Hogan said the shortages are the result of years of miscalculations including setting recruitment targets too low and allowing new recruits to choose their first postings, which left prairie provinces with fewer officers than needed.

While the findings highlight ongoing challenges, Saskatchewan RCMP told paNOW it continues to manage resources to meet community needs. Officers are redeployed within the province and from other parts of Canada to work relief shifts, while specialized units, like Saskatchewan RCMP’s Enforcement Response Teams or Traffic Services, provide additional support.

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In recent years, Saskatchewan RCMP averaged around 900 applications annually.  A total of 75 new officers were posted in 2024–25, followed by 89 in 2025–26.

“Our north district and isolated posts are current staffing focuses; however, new officers have been posted across all three Saskatchewan RCMP’s districts in the past three fiscal years,” read an email from Saskatchewan RCMP’s media communications department.

“Applicants from Saskatchewan are currently being processed on a priority basis to fill vacancies.”

Saskatchewan RCMP recruiters have also shifted to a more hands-on approach to make the recruitment process more personal by connecting with applicants and working one-on-one with them through the application process.  

“This is in addition to national actions to support improved recruiting practices, such as moving early screening tools (fitness, indices checks, security) to the front of the process to quickly identify viable applicants,” the email read.

Nationally, the RCMP is working to speed up hiring timelines . The goal is to reduce processing times down to six months by 2028. Next year, the federal force plans to train 50 troops of 32 cadets at Depot for deployment across Canada.

-With files from the Canadian Press

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com