To the rest of the world, the Mountie in red dress uniform is a symbol of Canada. The world has bought into the myth of the good-hearted, white man who protects the little guys and always gets his man. Even a cursory look at the history of the RCMP would reveal that to be far from the truth—and in-depth reporting over the past decade has made it very clear just how poorly reality compares to the image.

But the image endures. Why? How did it come to be so powerful? Why is the RCMP so resistant to reform? And if an ongoing investigation into Canada's largest shooting reveals that their actions made a bad situation deadly, will even that be enough to change things?

GUEST: Jane Gerster, journalist and author

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca 

Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter