The "Canadian Mountie" is a common symbol to represent all things Canadian. They are much more than just a "photo op", however. They have a rich history in the field of law enforcement in Canada, and their official title is "RCMP" which is the abbreviation for Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Since hundreds of additional law enforcement personnel from all over Canada were reassigned to Vancouver for the Olympics, it brings up the obvious question of "Where are all those extra policemen housed and fed?" The answer is, on cruise ships that were anchored in the middle of all the action--right at the Vancouver waterfront. However, one policeman I talked to said that even though the cruise accommodations were very nice, they had little time to enjoy them, as all their days were at least 14 hours on duty AWAY from the cruise ship.
This policeman at the curling arena agreed to a photo, and enjoyed telling me about his REAL home in Canada, which was in the far away area known as Ottawa.
The "Canadian Mountie" is a common symbol to represent all things Canadian. They are much more than just a "photo op", however. They have a rich history in the field of law enforcement in Canada, and their official title is "RCMP" which is the abbreviation for Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 
