On Thursday, 112 RCMP officers posed shoulder-to-shoulder on Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver for an iconic photo in celebration of the 150th anniversary of confederation Thursday.
The officers volunteered from detachments all over the Lower Mainland, and dressed in their traditional red serge that matched a Canadian flag they unfurled below the famous swinging suspension bridge.
Happy to be @nvanrcmp photo/op @capsusbridge. Over 110 Mounties! Great camaraderie in the "liquid sunshine." MLD pic.twitter.com/hBxSpkThLp
— Burnaby RCMP (@BurnabyRCMP) June 8, 2017
Superintendent Chris Kennedy, the officer in charge of the North Vancouver RCMP detachment, described the photo as a "once-in-a-career opportunity to be part of a historic photo occasion."
Corporal Richard De Jong, media relations officer for the North Vancouver RCMP, said they would have liked to see 150 red serges on the bridge, but getting there for 8 a.m. required significant time commitment from officers on their day off.
He also added that the photo shoot had no connections to recent efforts in the RCMP to unionize that started in North Vancouver.
"For all police officers, when all is said and done, being patriotic to the incredible country we serve and protect is a natural response," Cpl. De Jong said.
The RCMP across Canada have been celebrating the anniversary of confederation by organizing musical rides and tweeting out pictures of officers at prominent Canadian destinations. Here's another photo of the eye-catching, horse-riding police at one Canadian landmark from earlier this week.
Awesome! @TimHortons @rcmpgrcpolice @RCMP_HC @RCMPONT @RCMPAlberta @rcmpmb @BehindRedSerge @RCMPDepot @WestshoreRCMP #RCMP ☕️ pic.twitter.com/6XkDQO9r8u
— Joe Minardi (@Joe_Minardi) June 7, 2017