Skip to main content

Policing In Canada: Executive Summary

Policing Canada is an assessment commissioned by the Government of Canada and produced by the Council of Canadian Academies. Police in Canada are facing unprecedented internal and external challenges, many of which are rooted in the changing context in which police now operate. At the same time, significant new opportunities are emerging that can help police services to prosper in the evolving safety and security landscape. Using available evidence from Canada and around the world, this assessment strives to better understand how policing may be carried out more effectively in the future.

Main Findings Of The Assessment

The Council found that:

  • The structure of Canadian police organizations needs to adapt to new contexts, including working with non-police organizations in a “safety and security web”
  • Successful policing models require police to leverage the specialized capabilities and resources in the safety and security web.
  • Accountability structures must be created in the safety and security web
Policing Canada in the 21st Century – Police Accountability
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
Who Produced The Report?

This report was generated by the Council of Canadian Academies, an independent, not-for-profit organization that supports independent, science-based expert assessments to inform public policy development in Canada. This report strives to identify emerging issues, gaps in knowledge, Canadian strengths, and international trends and practices on policing. This assessment will provide government decision-makers, researchers, and stakeholders with high-quality information required to develop informed and innovative public policy on policing in Canada. Read the full report for more details on the future of policing in Canada.

Our Latest Work and Updates

Filter

AllAccess to InformationArbitrary DetentionArtificial IntelligenceBill 21Bill 28Bill C-27Border TechnologyCases and LawsCCPA (Bill C-11)Community SupervisionConditions of ConfinementConstitutional RemediesCOVID-19COVID-19 & Law EnforcementCOVID-19 & PrisonsCRIMINAL JUSTICECriminal Prohibitions on SpeechCriminal Records & Collateral ConsequencesCriminal Records & Police Record ChecksCriminal Records & Police Record ChecksCruel & Unusual PunishmentDeaths in CustodyDecriminalizationDeescalation & Use of ForceDefamationDemocratic RightsDetasking PoliceDevice SearchesDisabilityDNA ForensicsDONATEEDUCATIONElection FinanceEmergencies ActEmergencies Act NewsEQUALITYFace SurveillanceFair Trial RightsFair Trial, Due Process & SentencingFighting Compelled Political SpeechFighting Solitary ConfinementFreedom of AssociationFreedom of ExpressionFreedom of ReligionFreedom of the PressFRONT BURNER ISSUESFUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMSGET INFORMEDGuidesIN THE NEWSINCLOIndigenous PeopleInformation SharingIntelligence & CybersecurityInternet Privacy and SpeechLearnLGBTQ2S+Life, Liberty & SecurityMAJOR CASES & REPORTSMass SurveillanceMobilityNational SecurityNB Abortion RightsNot Criminally ResponsibleNotwithstanding ClauseOntario Private Sector LegislationOpen CourtsPIPEDAPODCASTPolice Coercion & EntrapmentPolice Powers, Use of Force & Police AccountabilityPolice Transparency, Oversight & AccountabilityPolicy 713Political AdvertisingPRESS RELEASESPresumption of InnocencePrisons, Jails & Community SupervisionPRIVACYPrivacy ActPrivacy During COVIDPrivacy Law ReformProsecutorial MisconductProtecting JournalistsRace, Religion & EthnicityRacial ProfilingReasonable Expectations of PrivacyRefugees & ImmigrationRegulation of Online ExpressionRight to CounselRight to ProtestRight to Reasonable BailRight to SilenceSafe SheltersSearch & SeizureSearch & SeizureSentencingSex Offender RegistriesSmart CitiesSocial MediaSocio-Economic StatusSolitary ConfinementStrip SearchesSurveillance & PrivacySurveillance & TechnologySurveillance CapitalismTalk RightsToronto's Smart CityTravel ScreeningUncategorizedUnreasonable Search & SeizureVaccine PassportsVOLUNTEERVoting RightsWomenYouth

Know Your Rights: Universities Should Continue to Acknowledge the Rights of Students to Express Themselves and to Protest Peacefully

Now more than ever, it is important for individuals to understand their rights when they…
May 8, 2024

Join Us As We Stand Against Bill 21 and for Human Rights

This is a critical moment.
February 24, 2022

CCLA Reacts to Ontario Government Bill Shutting Down Safe Injection Health Services

Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has sent a letter to Brampton’s Mayor and City Councillors…
November 22, 2024

Right to Protest Peacefully: CCLA Urges the Brampton City Council to Fix the Proposed Bubble Zone By-Law

Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has sent a letter to Brampton’s Mayor and City Councillors…
November 19, 2024

CCLA Urges Ontario Premier To Respect the Rights of Vulnerable People in Ontario

Cybersecurity is an essential part of national security. The digital ecosystem in which we increasingly…
November 18, 2024

CCLA on the Federal Cybersecurity Bill: Cybersecurity Should Not Undermine Civil Liberties

Cybersecurity is an essential part of national security. The digital ecosystem in which we increasingly…
November 15, 2024

CCLA Intervening To Ensure Equitable Health Care Funding for Trans and Nonbinary People in Ontario

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made…
November 13, 2024

CCLA Intervening in Pivotal Case on Miscarriages of Justice before Supreme Court of Canada

The CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada in Bouvette v. R. on…
November 13, 2024

CCLA to Appear as Intervener Before the Supreme Court Today in Challenge of the Federal Regime Governing Sex Work

Criminal laws cannot have the effect of impairing the safety and security of sex workers.…
November 13, 2024

Long Overdue Review and Complaints Body for Canadian Border Services and Mounties Welcomed by Rights Advocates

OTTAWA – Civil society groups are welcoming the adoption of Bill C-20 and the long-overdue…
November 12, 2024

CCLA Welcomes Amendments to Regulations That Remove Legal Barriers to Abortion Care Access

Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made the…
November 7, 2024

Read Our Letter to the New Premier of New Brunswick

In our recent letter to the new Premier of New Brunswick, we address a crucial…
November 5, 2024

CCLA Strongly Condemns Alberta Legislation That Erodes Freedoms of Trans and Gender Diverse Youth and Their Families

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made…
November 1, 2024

CCLA Condemns Government of Ontario’s Proposal to Imprison the Innocent

TORONTO —  Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement: Ontario's proposal…
October 28, 2024

CCLA Welcomes Commitment to Reverse Harmful Changes to Policy 713 in New Brunswick

TORONTO — Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made…
October 25, 2024

Unanimous Court of Appeal Judgment Upholds Landmark Racial Profiling Decision in Quebec

MONTREAL — Yesterday, the Court of Appeal of Quebec released a landmark judgment upholding a major civil…
October 24, 2024

CCLA Testifies on Bill C-70 Before Senate Standing Committee National Security, Defence, and Veterans Affairs

On June 10, 2024, Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program, and Shakir…
October 22, 2024

CCLA Reacts to ONCA’S Decision in Mathur

TORONTO —  Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of Fundamental Freedoms at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made…
October 18, 2024

CCLA Urges Big City Mayors To Vote Against Resolution That Overrides Rights Of Vulnerable People In Ontario

TORONTO — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling on Ontario’s Big City Mayors to…
October 15, 2024

CCLA to Appear Before Supreme Court Today in I.M. v. R on Youth Criminal Justice

The CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada today as an intervenor in I.M.…
October 15, 2024

CCLA Testifies On Bill C-20 Before Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Veterans Affairs

On October 7, 2024, Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, and Harini Sivalingam,…
October 10, 2024

CCLA Intervening Before Supreme Court in AGQ v. Senneville to Protect People from Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The CCLA has been granted leave to intervene before the Supreme Court of Canada in…
October 10, 2024