November 26, 1940 (19th Parliament, 2nd Session)

Right Hon. ERNEST LAPOINTE (Minister of Justice):

During the course of the debate yesterday at page 379, Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Vegreville (Mr. Hlynka) drew attention to an item appearing in the Edmonton Bulletin with regard to the recruiting of constables for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, containing these words:
Applicants must be single, of British racial origin.
Since this matter already has been commented upon by a section of the press I desire to make a statement concerning it.
Section 34 of the rules and regulations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reads as follows:
All candidates must be British subjects.
I desire to state that any British subject who has the other necessary qualifications may be enlisted in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, whatever may have been the racial characteristics of his forefathers. The commissioner, whose attention has been called to this item, is investigating as to who is responsible for the phraseology which appeared in the newspaper, which certainly is equivocal.
I may add that regulation 34, which requires that applicants must be British subjects, has been in the regulations since the inception of the force.