Nunavut RCMP to swap out grey shirts for navy blue

Nunavut’s RCMP officers will look a bit different in the coming months as they swap their light grey shirts for dark blue ones.

The new look is part of a national plan to modernize the uniform, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. George Henrie in an email.

“I believe a safe estimate when Nunavut residents can start seeing RCMP officers in the new [shirts] would be later this month and into the spring,” he said.

Henrie said Nunavut RCMP only received approval to order the new uniforms on April 1. There are approximately 160 uniformed officers based in Nunavut.

The RCMP began rolling out the new shirts in October, starting in Prince Edward Island.

The new uniforms will also be more comfortable, said RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme in a September 2025 release announcing the new uniforms.

“For the first time in 30 years, RCMP officers will be stepping out in their communities with a new uniform shirt that fits with today’s modern times,” he said in the release.

“This new shirt, for the first time, is available in a female-fit version and is made from more modern materials that enhance comfort and adaptability in different environments.”

The release also noted that “seeing a new uniform colour may cause confusion.”

“The RCMP also understands that there have been recent incidents of individuals impersonating police,” the release said.

Notably, a gunman killed 22 people in rural Nova Scotia in April 2020 while impersonating a uniformed RCMP officer in a replica police cruiser.

“If you have any concerns about the identity of the police officer you are interacting with, you can ask the officer for identification,” the RCMP release said.