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A new RCMP recruitment video that shows cadets being barked at by a drill instructor and made to adhere to a strict hierarchical command structure is evidence that the force is still steeped in antiquated ways of doing things, some observers say.

Many assessments have knocked the RCMP’s paramilitary style of training and governance, which emphasizes deference to authority and discipline, as a hindrance to modernizing the force.

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“Very obviously, there’s a major disconnect between the recommendations about the way in which the organization should be proceeding and what it’s actually doing,” said Rob Gordon, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re still using these 19th century techniques.”

The recruitment video, posted about a month ago on the RCMP’s YouTube channel, opens with images of cadets at the training academy in Regina standing or marching in formation. A sergeant major tells them in a stern voice their lives as civilians are “over.”

“Your first name from now on is ‘Cadet.’ My first name — and you can pick one of two — is either ‘Sir’ or ‘Sergeant Major.’ Your hours of work are from the time your feet will hit the floor in the morning until the time your ass hits the bed at night. You will be tested at every turn. Trust me, you will.”