Of fugitives and orators: The characters behind the RCMP’s complicated history

Canadian Time Machine

In May 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commemorated its 150th anniversary. The federal police force – which originally started out as the North-West Mounted Police – is almost as old as the Dominion of Canada itself. This episode examines the complex and painful history of an institution that has historically mistreated Indigenous peoples and women. It also takes us back to the scene of one of the RCMP’s largest manhunts – the search for fugitive Albert Johnson, also known as “The Mad Trapper.” Our guests on this episode are Sam Karikas, CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre, and Jean Teillet, a recently retired Métis lawyer, author, and lecturer, who is also the great-grand niece of Louis Riel. This episode also has a counterpart on the French feed for this show! If you want to listen to more about the history of Louis Riel and the RCMP, head over to the podcast called “Voyages Dans L'Histoire Canadienne.”

To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.

This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.

Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne.

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