FBI Director Kash Patel Temporarily Halts RCMP Cooperation

FBI Director Kash Patel temporarily halted cooperation and canceled meetings with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) this month following a controversy over editorial guidance at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The friction began after a leaked internal CBC memo instructed journalists to attribute the term terrorism to experts rather than using it as a direct label for the September 11 attacks.

Patel condemned the guidance as a "bastardization of history" and an insult to the victims, warning that any Canadian agency failing to reject the policy would no longer have a friend in the FBI. The White House described the guidance as "disgusting and disrespectful," while CBC's senior director of journalistic standards later clarified that direct attribution is not required to describe the events as terrorism. The CBC officially reversed its policy on August 28.

Normal cooperation was restored around the 25th anniversary of the attacks. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme downplayed the reports of a rift, asserting that the agency maintains strong relationships with U.S. counterparts and the Five Eyes community. The incident occurred amid broader diplomatic tensions, including disputes over tariffs and the collapse of trade deal negotiations between the United States and Canada.