New RCMP recruit excited to start career

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Kandis Langton began a new chapter in her life on May 16 with a posting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Vallyview after completing a grueling six months of training in Regina.

"It was a lot of hard work and I was happy to finish, and I'm even happier to start my career," she said.

Her friends and family in Edmonton honored the 22-year-old graduate of the training depot on May 10 with a graduation and going-away party. Langton was looking forward to beginning her new five-year post.

"Valleyview is pretty close to home. It's only three-and-a-half hours away. That's about as close as you're going to get to home with the RCMP, so I'm happy," said Langton.

The former graduate of Sturgeon high school was one of 30 members of training depot troop 27, the first troop to graduate all members since troop 19, Langton was proud to report. Langton was one of a dozen Metis members in the group.

"The most difficult thing is dealing with your troop as a whole. Everything you have to do, you do together. It's not just you anymore," said Langton. "All along I've been doing well being independent and working on my own and now there are 29 other people that you have to get along with and do the same things with."

It's not an easy task when you take 30 people of similar temperaments and drop them in a room together, telling them they all have to sink or swim.

"We're all A-type personalities and there's lots of head bashing, but it was good," said Langton. "You learn a lot about how to communicate with people and I really believe that's what the RCMP has over other police forces."

Langton will be based out of the Valleyview Detachment, but her main area to patrol will be the Sturgeon Lake Reserve, which is home to about 1,200 people.

"I'm looking forward to the close-knit community that a reserve provides, rather than just a town, because everybody is a little bit closer," said Kandis Langton."On a reserve everybody knows each other and through my experience in Morinville with the Alexander Reserve you can really establish good relationships and if one person likes you then a lot more people like you so you can get in there and make some good connections and hopefully do some good work," she said.

Langton spent two years working as a summer student with the Morinville RCMP before heading to Regina in November 2005.

"It was lots of fun. You basically get to be second man to the member that you're working with and you get paid for it so that's pretty neat," said Langton.

Someday, Langton would like to join the RCMP Musical Ride, which would allow her to travel throughout the world and meet different people.

"I'd like to go to southern Alberta or maybe the Musical Ride, depending on if I have a family," said Langton.

For the new RCMP constable, family is important and the close bonds shared among Kandis and her family members were evident at the party.

Muriel Stanley Venne, Langton's grandmother and the president and founder of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, is doubly proud of her granddaughter's success.

"It's a wonderful personal accomplishment for me to have my granddaughter enter the RCMP as a role model for other young Aboriginal girls. It's really very moving and very emotional for us," said Stanley Venne.

For Metis people the RCMP represent a very special part of their history.

"It's very significant because the RCMP for us as Metis people is very special in our history because it was formed as a reaction to Louis Riel and his claim for government in Manitoba," said Stanley Venne.

It wasn't just Langton's family at her celebration, but old friends and teachers dropped by to see her off too.

Ernie Oginsky, a counsellor at Sturgeon high school, knows the RCMP Valleyview detachment is lucky to have her.

"There's no doubt in my mind she has the ability to succeed. She's a quick learner and is a caring person and full of energy," sad Oginsky.