Penguin Random House | Toronto, 09/24/2020

An Uncomfortable And Therefore Important Book For Canada

In 2022, Penguin Random House Canada will publish “For the Good of the Force” in which journalist Jane Gerster investigates racism, misogyny and violence within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She cleans up the myth about the earnest, gentle, and successful “Mounties” serving the citizens.

“The Mounties always get their man” – thanks to Hollywood, Canada’s national police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is often romantically perceived as an earnest troop that always achieves its goals and catches every criminal in the end. However, Canadian journalist Jane Gerster paints an entirely different picture of the “Mounties” in her book “For the Good of the Force”, an investigation into the history of racism, violence and misogyny within the 30,000-strong police force. Penguin Random House Canada’s publisher McClelland & Stewart will publish Gerster’s book about the RCMP in 2022.

The historic red uniform and wide-brimmed hat are the recognized symbols of the RCMP, established in 1873. According to Penguin Random House, they are symbols for earnest, gentle and well-intentioned Canadians. Author Jane Gerster, however, cleans up this myth. The RCMP has a long history of discrimination and violence towards the very citizens its members are sworn to protect. “This book has been as uncomfortable to report as I’m sure it will be for Canadians to read,” Jane Gerster says, “but that is why I’m writing it. It is important for Canadians precisely because it is uncomfortable. Canada often positions itself as a welcoming alternative to the U.S., but that makes it difficult for us to engage in nuanced conversations about fundamental Canadian flaws.”

The journalist adds: “My hope is that my book will help people get to know a flawed Canadian institution. I hope that if enough people understand the full Mountie story, we will be able to fix it—for its members and for those they serve.” Gerster asserts that the RCMP never went off track and remains very much the organization it was designed to be 150 years ago: oppressive and militaristic in nature, civilian in name only. Additionally, Gerster provides insights into the RCMP’s current state of affairs—from class-action sexual harassment suits to accusations of corruption. And she explores why such negative developments rarely seem to tarnish the image of the “Mounties”.

Jordan Ginsberg, Editor at McClelland & Stewart, says: “The damage done by the institutions in which we’re meant to put our trust is not parallel to the story of our country but is, in fact, the story of the country itself, and Jane Gerster sees this clearly. She is one of Canada’s great young journalists—a brilliant, impeccably sourced investigator, a gifted storyteller, and a true moral force, and we at McClelland & Stewart are enormously grateful and proud to work with her.”