The Mounties always get their man, but they put up an awful fuss getting their first women. Now that the RCMP faces many sexual harassment lawsuits, it's easy to forget how hard many women fought hard to get into the force. We hear from some of the first women to wear the red serge in our documentary.

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Part Two of The Current

First Ladies of the RCMP - Repeat Documentary

It's a good thing the crime rate is falling because the new boss of the RCMP has plenty of things besides crime to worry about: low morale, allegations of systemic sexual harassment and the force's tarnished reputation.

Some critics believe the problems are so entrenched, they're beyond the new commissioner's abilities to fix. But there was a time, not so long ago, when no problem seemed too daunting for the people who wore red serge.

Still, the men of the mounties were eventually to meet the feminists of the 60s, and things had to change. They took their sweet time, though. The Mounties were one of the last police forces in the world to welcome female officers to their ranks.

So the 32 women inducted into the force in 1974 were game changers of the first order. CBC producer Yvonne Gall's documentary is called First Ladies of the RCMP. It won the Dave Rogers Award in the Long Feature Radio Category from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

Jane Hall who is featured in this documentary has a book called: The Red Wall: A Woman in the RCMP, published by General Store Publishing House.

This documentary first aired on The Current in November as part of our season long look at game changers. And if you want to hear more of our stories about people, movements, ideas and inventions that changed everything, tune into Game Changer this summer on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 and Friday mornings at 9:30 (a half-hour later in Newfoundland).

Last Word - Silken Laumann

Tomorrow on The Current, we'll ask: Should we pay to be good? Many countries - including Canada - pay cash to Olympic medalists as a reward and incentive. However, Olympic host Great Britain does not pay its medalists -- and its athletes continue to rack up the medals just the same.

Silken Laumann won her Olympic rowing medals before Canada started its incentive program. She believes athletes can sure use the money-- but perhaps Canada shouldn't count on turning that cash into gold. Today's Last word goes to Silken Laumann.

Other segment from today's show:

Iran in Syria: The Alliance