Law enforcement in Canada is the responsibility of police services, special constabularies, and civil law enforcement agencies, which are operated by every level of government, some private and Crown corporations, and First Nations. Canada's provinces are responsible for the development and maintenance of police forces and special constabularies, while civil law enforcement is the responsibility of the level or agency of government that developed those laws, and civil law enforcement agencies may be given a range of powers to enforce those laws. As such, the exact duties and authority of individual law enforcement agencies vary significantly.
Police services may take on additional duties such as municipal by-law enforcement, and police services range in size from small, one-officer forces that are generally limited to enforcing provincial and municipal legislation to large organizations charged with investigating complex financial crimes. In Ontario, police services are obliged to provide at least five core police services — crime prevention, law enforcement, maintenance of the public peace, emergency response, and assistance to victims of crime — to fulfill the province's requirement for "adequate and effective policing," while in neighbouring Quebec, the responsibilities of a police force are dependent on the population it serves. Other jurisdictions, such as Manitoba and British Columbia, do not define adequate and effective policing, although individual regulations in both of those provinces set out basic responsibilities of police forces.
Although special constabularies exist in some form in almost every province, they are referred to by a number of different titles and carry different levels of authority between provinces and agencies. The Niagara Parks Police Service, for example, employs armed officers responsible for providing almost all police services on and in relation to lands owned by the Niagara Parks Commission; while the University of Saskatchewan Protective Services Division's unarmed officers are limited to enforcing University by-laws, some provincial laws, and limited sections of the Criminal Code. The exact definition of a special constabulary also varies province-to-province, and some civil law enforcement agencies, usually those whose staff are designated as special constables, are also sometimes considered special constabularies. Generally, a special constabulary is any law enforcement organization composed of special constables, peace officers, or safety officers (as opposed to police officers) with a mandate for criminal law enforcement and/or general peacekeeping and security.
The powers of civil law enforcement agencies also vary significantly. Some, like the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, have the authority to enforce criminal legislation in addition to their primary mandate to enforce civil legislation, while others are limited to enforcing only a handful of by-laws or provincial acts. Regardless of the breadth of their legislative authority, all civil law enforcement officers in Canada are considered peace officers for the purposes of carrying out their duties,Moore v R 5 W.W.R. 176.R. vs Jones 5 W.W.R. 197. and may be variously appointed as special constables, municipal law enforcement officers, provincial offences officers, or generically as peace officers.
For the purposes of this list, agencies are grouped by their primary responsibilities and legislative definitions.
Federal Police services
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian Forces Military Police Canadian Forces National Investigation Service National Battlefields Commission Battlefields Park Police
Railway police The federal government, under the Railway Safety Act, authorizes any railway in Canada to request that a superior court judge appoint railway employees as police officers. These officers are hired, and employed by the railway for the purposes of preventing crimes against the company and the protection of goods, materials, and public rail transit being moved through the railway network, and have nationwide jurisdiction within 500 metres of a railway line or as it relates to railway operations. Railway police officers receive training through an accredited police college including but not limited to the RCMP Depot Academy or Ontario Police College. There are three such federally-authorized police forces in the country:
Canadian National Police Service Canadian Pacific Kansas City Police Service VIA Rail Canada Police Service
Nuclear Security Officers The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission may appoint nuclear security officers as peace officers on high-risk sites. These officers have jurisdiction only on the site to which they work, and have limited authority as peace officers.
Civil law enforcement agencies Canada Border Services Agency Canada Post Security & Investigation Services Canada Revenue Agency Criminal Investigations Program Canadian Food Inspection Agency Inspectors and Investigators Correctional Service of Canada Competition Bureau Environment and Climate Change Canada Environmental and Wildlife Enforcement OfficersEnvironment Canada – Acts, Regulations and Agreements – Enforcement – Acts and Regulations. Ec.gc.ca (July 6, 2022). Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fishery Officers Health Canada Compliance and Enforcement Officers Parks Canada Warden Service Transport Canada Inspectors National Capital Commission Conservation Officers
Security agencies
Parliamentary Protective Service Royal Canadian Mint Protective Service Bank of Canada Protective Service
Alberta Police services
Calgary Police Service Camrose Police Service Edmonton Police Service Lacombe Police Service Lethbridge Police Service Medicine Hat Police Service Taber Police Service Grande Prairie Police Service
Special constabularies
Alberta Health Services, Protective Services Covenant Health, Protective Services Calgary Transit Public Safety and Enforcement Section Edmonton Transit Protective Services University of Alberta Protective Services Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Protective Services Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Protective Services
Provincial law enforcement agencies
Alberta Sheriffs Police Service Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism, Conservation Officers Alberta Humane Society Peace Officers Alberta Correctional Services Division Alberta Environment and Parks - Environmental Protection Peace Officers Alberta Sheriffs Branch Court Security Services (Law Court Sheriffs) Protection and Transport Services (Legislative Security and Escort Sheriffs) Investigative Services (SCAN, Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Investigators) Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol (Sheriff Highway Patrol Officers) Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (Fish and Wildlife Officers)
Community peace officers
Community peace officers are law enforcement officers appointed by municipalities, regional sub divisions, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations.
The duties of a community peace officer varies depending on their appointment, which specifies which provincial laws the appointed community peace officer may enforce.
Uniquely, community peace officers employed by Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health are empowered to enforce the Mental Health Act. Powers under this act allow for the apprehension of individuals that the peace officer reasonably believes may be suffering from a mental disorder and is a danger to themselves and/or others.
Other common roles include but are not limited to traffic enforcement, enforcement of the trespass act and its provisions, as well as enforcement of alcohol and cannabis related legislation.
Peace officers are armed with a baton and OC spray, as well as body armour. Some peace officers are equipped with shotguns for dispatching wildlife.
Peace officers are not police officers and generally do not have the authority to conduct criminal investigations, however they may arrest people under the criminal code when someone is found committing an offence.
British Columbia
Police services
Abbotsford Police Department Central Saanich Police Service Delta Police Department Nelson Police Department New Westminster Police Department Oak Bay Police Department Port Moody Police Department Saanich Police Department Surrey Police Service Vancouver Police Department Victoria Police Department West Vancouver Police Department Designated Policing Units
In British Columbia, the Solicitor General may establish a "designated policing unit" to provide specialized police services in a geographic area alongside the police service(s) of jurisdiction. These forces answer to a board composed of representatives selected directly by the Solicitor General, and may include community representatives, representatives from area police services, or representatives from the corporations funding the designated policing unit's operations. There are three such units in the province:
Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia Metro Vancouver Transit Police Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service
Special constabularies Legislative Assembly Protective Services
Civil law enforcement agencies
British Columbia Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement British Columbia Community Safety Unit British Columbia Conservation Officer Service Forensic Security Operations, Forensic Services Officers British Columbia Correctional ServiceB.C. Corrections: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/corrections British Columbia Natural Resources Officers British Columbia Park Rangers British Columbia Passenger Transportation Branch British Columbia Sheriff Service
Independent Gambling Control Office British Columbia British Columbia Special Provincial Constables - Provincial Fraud Investigators
Manitoba Police services
Altona Police ServiceAltona Police Service: https://altona.ca/police/ Brandon Police ServiceBrandon Police Service: http://police.brandon.ca/ Morden Police ServiceMorden Police Service: http://mordenpolice.com/ RM of Cornwallis Police Service Sainte-Anne Police ServiceSainte-Anne Police Service: https://www.steannepolice.ca/ Springfield Police Service Victoria Beach PoliceVictoria Beach Police: http://www.vbpolice.ca/ Winkler Police ServiceWinkler Police Service: http://www.winklerpolice.ca/ Winnipeg Police Service
Special constabularies University of Manitoba Campus Safety and Security (Institutional Safety Officers) Winnipeg Transit Safety Officers (Institutional Safety Officers)
Civil law enforcement agencies Manitoba Conservation Officers Service Manitoba Sheriff Service Manitoba Motor Carrier Enforcement Highway Patrol Natural Resource Officer Service Manitoba Corrections
New Brunswick Police services
Bathurst City Police Service Beresford, Nigadoo, Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte Regional Police Service (B.N.P.P. Regional Police Service) Edmundston Police Force Fredericton Police Force Grand Falls Police Force Kennebecasis Regional Police Force Miramichi Police Force Saint John Police Force Woodstock Police Force
Civil law enforcement agencies Department of Public Safety Conservation Enforcement Highway Safety Patrol Health Protection Services New Brunswick Sheriff’s Service Correctional Services Coroner's Service
Newfoundland and Labrador
Police services Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Special constabularies Memorial University Campus Enforcement and Patrol
Civil law enforcement agencies High Sheriff of Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Newfoundland and Labrador Corrections
Northwest Territories
Civil law enforcement agencies Northwest Territories Highway Patrol Northwest Territories Renewable Resources Officer Service Northwest Territories Parks Officer Service Northwest Territories Sheriff Service Northwest Territories Corrections Service
Nova Scotia Police services