RCMP sick leave cases climb 184% in 15 years, sparking calls for reform

National Police Federation’s Brian Sauve discusses the rising number of RCMP officers taking leave, which increased by 184 per cent between 2010 and 2024.

The number of RCMP officers on long-term sick leave has surged by 184 per cent over the past 15 years, according to a report from the RCMP Management Advisory Board (MAB).

The oversight body, which advises the RCMP Commissioner, found that from January 2010 to January 2024, the rate of regular members on extended leave jumped from 28.5 per 1,000 officers to 81 per 1,000.

At the beginning of 2025, seven per cent of the force - or 1,413 regular members - were on leave due to illness, injury or disability lasting more than 30 consecutive days. Of those, 580 officers had been away for more than a year, while 243 had been on leave for over two years.

It estimates the cost of having seven per cent of members off-duty at roughly $58 million.

Brain Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation, said while the report captures the scope of the problem, it overlooks critical issues behind why so many members are staying off work long-term.

“Police officers obviously are exposed to more trauma, more physical issues, more challenges than the ordinary, everyday profession,” Sauvé, told CTV’s Your Morning Wednesday.

“We’ve been calling out for years that the disability management and accommodation program isn’t functioning.”

He pointed to the systemic failures in getting members back on the job in a timely way: “The employer, the RCMP, actually must have a well-resourced and well-funded and fully operating accommodations program to reach out to those members and actually get them back to work.”

The task force behind the report, which consulted with officers, supervisors and senior leadership over an 18-month review, criticized the RCMP’s current sick leave mode. According to the report, this system “offers no incentive to return to work,” and creates potential public safety risks while straining the force’s financial and human resources.

According to Sauvé, RCMP members face added disincentives because of existing policies. After one year on leave, officers stop accumulating annual leave. Others may seek a medical discharge instead since the RCMP has no short-term disability insurance plan. Long-term disability is only accessible if members resign or retire medically.

“Our membership definitely receives 100 per cent salary continuance, but we also don’t have a short-term disability plan that ... members can transfer to after 30, 60, or 90 days,” he said.

In an email to CTVNews.ca Thursday, the RCMP said the report is “currently under comprehensive review” and “a more substantive response and a Management Action Plan in response to the report will be finalized shortly.”

“The RCMP is continuing to work on several initiatives to better understand and improve employee physical and mental health as well as reduce workplace mental health injuries such as the Psychological Health Screening Program,” the statement read.

The RCMP said initiatives include a three-year Well-being Action Plan and the National Reintegration Program — which support “safe return to operational duties following a traumatic or critical incident or an extended absence,” according to the RCMP.

The MAB recommends a review of the sick leave pay model, suggesting a structure where pay gradually decreases over time - similar to the Ontario Provincial Police, which pays 100 per cent of salary for the first six days of absence but only 75 per cent for the next 124 days.

Calls for federal investment

The union has long been pressing the federal government to invest in the disability management program. In last year’s federal budget submission, the union proposed an investment of $20 million annually over three years, plus ongoing funding to hire adequate numbers of nurses, doctors and specialists to support RCMP members on sick leave.

“That is what we’ve been calling for, for a number of years and we’ll continue to ask for that,” Sauvé said, stressing that without proper support systems, more officers will remain off-duty longer and leave the force stretched.

The RCMP said while the force has “done much to improve how these cases are managed, it is recognized that much more needs to be done.”

“The MAB’s report will be helpful in identifying additional courses of action that could be taken by the RCMP to improve,” the statement read.