The RCMP has avoided a $7.5-million fee and any finding of wrongdoing after the cancellation of one of its Black Hawk helicopter contracts, potentially ending a months-long controversy over an aircraft it chartered that was not eligible to fly in Canada.
asserted
that → avoid → Canada
The Mounties are walking away with a $394,000 bill for the 10 days the helicopter flew before regulatory concerns grounded it in June, but will not have to pay for any of the time the Black Hawk was sitting idle, after the contract was cancelled under an “amicable” agreement.
asserted
contract → walk → agreement
It will also continue working with operator Helicopter Transport Services, which provided the helicopter despite only being licensed to use it for training and special events, with two other Black Hawk contracts unaffected and running until at least December.
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contracts → continue → December
Public Services and Procurement Canada says that “as the contract was terminated by mutual consent, there was no finding of wrongdoing” in its internal probe of the contract, but the department did not confirm if it has completely dropped the investigation.
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it → say → investigation
Transport Canada, meanwhile, says it’s still assessing the unauthorized use of the helicopter and will not yet comment on “any decisions or potential compliance or enforcement measures” against the operator.
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it → say → operator
The RCMP maintains it did everything in a “fair, open and transparent manner” because it replaced its supplier for the third Black Hawk with Helicopter Transport Services due to a lower price offer.
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it → maintain → offer
The company did not return a request for comment.
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company → return → comment
RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme acknowledged the helicopter did not meet Transport Canada requirements, but expressed no concerns about continuing to work with the operator when asked by the Star this week.
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helicopter → acknowledge → Star
He called the Black Hawk a “good tool” but openly mused about the possibility of replacing them as the Mounties develop their drone arsenal.
“With every tool, we have to assess on a monthly or annual basis, is this really meeting our needs as we go forward?” he told reporters.
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he → call → reporters
Under a $1.3-billion plan, the RCMP is getting hundreds of millions of dollars to beef up border security, including through aerial surveillance.
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RCMP → get → surveillance
It first chartered the Black Hawk helicopters in January 2025 in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Canada, and is on track to have spent more than $75 million on them by December.
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It → charter → December
The ex-military helicopters, which are refurbished by independent operators and used for policing and disaster response, operate in a complicated regulatory grey area in Canada and are at the centre of domestic industry tensions over fears of competition.
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which → refurbish → competition
Transport Canada has barred their import in recent years as it develops a long-term certification scheme, but allowed Helicopter Transport Services to bring in the specific Black Hawk in question under strict conditions.
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Services → bar → conditions
The company offered the Black Hawk to the RCMP, winning a $7.5-million contract before it was grounded 10 days later.
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it → offer → contract
The RCMP then indicated it might still have to pay for the contract while rejecting responsibility for compliance with the regulations.
uncertain
it → indicate → regulations
Asked if he was frustrated by the regulatory limbo, which has angered some Canadian operators and prevented the RCMP from getting more Black Hawks, Duheme said no.
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Duheme → ask → Hawks
“There’s certain regulations, right, and we have to respect those.
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we → ’ → those
The other two helicopters that are flying are compliant to Transport Canada regulation,” he said.
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he → fly → regulation
NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan said she’s still left wondering why the RCMP signed the contract in the first place
“What action is being taken, or policy change is being made to ensure taxpayers are not on the hook for such wasteful spending in the future?” Kwan wrote in an email.
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Kwan → say → email
“The prime minister needs to be honest, transparent and accountable to Canadians.”
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minister → need → Canadians
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree recently characterized the situation as a “miscommunication” but also said the Black Hawks were an “off the shelf” fix brought in for an urgent need last year.
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Hawks → characterize → need
Some critics have questioned their effectiveness in border surveillance.
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critics → question → surveillance
Documents tabled in Parliament this week show the Black Hawks have helped identify 171 people suspected of crossing the Canada-U.S. land border illegally, leading to 79 arrests.
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Hawks → table → arrests
However, 78 of those individuals were reported “gone on arrival,” and the other 14 were classified as a “non-criminal encounter.”
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14 → report → encounter
The RCMP appears to have used the Black Hawks for other work, including having one perform at this summer’s Canadian International Air Show in Toronto.
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one → appear → Toronto
Flight logs and social media videos suggested they also played a security role during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada earlier this month, although the RCMP declined to confirm that.
uncertain
RCMP → suggest → that
The Aporia
