Whenever I go stateside and introduce myself as a Canadian to people, 9 out of 10 times, they would flaut their Canadian knowledge (I bet mostly from South Park) by citing some fancy tidbit about Canada. People usually mention either our hockey prowess or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.) a.k.a. a Mountie. On the odd occasion, someone would metion a mooooose.
Perhaps the single thing that makes Mounties an international icon is their red serge uniform. Those sharp red riding suits and the flat brim hats definitely look spiffy. However, I must admit, I cannot imagine any officer catching thiefs in that uniform. Interestingly enough, these uniforms were the subject of a recent Toronto Star article that detailed the cost of dressing up one of these mounties. In the past five years, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has spent $58.4 million – or about $11.6 million a year on average – to outfit its members. ... it costs, according to the RCMP, an average of about $3,500 to dress an [new] officer with the standard clothing kit.
Woah. $11.6 million to suit them up? $3.5k for a new mountie? If people can put national pride aside for a second, perhaps it is worthwhile to consider some Made-In-China options. $11.6 million can go a long with for other parts of our national defense strategy... like the Royal Canadian Air Farce. According to CBC, our Air Force, along with our navy, are facing a budget shortfall. While no missions are going to be cut (so they claim), I would hate to see our fighter jets not equipping missles in Afgan or our navy not having enough sailor hats to go around, due to the spending cuts.
Well, at least our Mounties have enough clothing to survive the winter.
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