Poilievre says RCMP covered up Trudeau-era scandals

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the RCMP covered up what he calls scandals involving former prime minister Justin Trudeau, and said they would have otherwise led to criminal charges.

In a recent interview with YouTube channel Northern Perspective, Poilievre called the leadership of the RCMP “despicable” and added that many of the scandals of the Trudeau era “should have involved jail time.”

Poilievre said the former prime minister “probably” violated the criminal code during the SNC-Lavalin affair.

“These would normally have led to criminal charges, but of course the RCMP covered it all up,” he said.

In 2023, the Conservatives argued that the Liberals, NDP and Bloc censored the RCMP by shutting down the RCMP commissioner’s testimony on the SNC-Lavalin scandal in a parliamentary committee meeting.

In the interview, Poilievre also said Trudeau broke the code when he took a “free vacation from someone with whom he had government business,” alluding to the 2016 Aga Khan scandal.

“If the RCMP had been doing its job and not covering up for him, then he would have been criminally charged,” Poilievre said.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Toronto Thursday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the SNC-Lavalin affair was discussed “quite a lot” under the previous government and that there was no interference.

“I don’t take any orders from any political individual,” Duheme said.

Duheme invited Poilievre to meet with the RCMP to discuss his comments about the organization’s management.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in an email statement that Poilievre’s comments are “deeply irresponsible” and risk undermining trust in the national institution.

He said Canadians can have full confidence in the RCMP and in its independence from political interference.

“The RCMP operates free from direction by elected officials, regardless of who is in government,” said Anandasangaree. “Suggesting that Canada’s national police force engages in political cover-ups without evidence is not leadership — it is an attack on the impartiality of law enforcement in our country.”

“Political leaders should respect the work of the RCMP rather than attempt to erode public confidence in the dedicated officers who serve and protect Canadians every day from coast to coast to coast.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.