A new stamp has been unveiled, recognizing the 150th anniversary of the RCMP.

Canada Post issued the stamp on Tuesday, acknowledging the establishment of the force in 1873.

The design features a member of the RCMP in traditional dress, recognizing the historic roots of the organization, along with images that represent the RCMP as a modern national police service.

Founded on May 23, 1873, as the North-West Mounted Police, the RCMP has grown over the past 150 years to what it is today.

Originally assembled near Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1874, a mounted unit of 300 men recruited from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with local Métis guides, set out on the “March West.” The purpose of the organization at that time was to administer the laws of Canada in the Northwest Territories after the transfer of jurisdiction from the British Crown. In the following decades, the role and mandate of the organization changed as it gradually took on policing duties in more provinces and territories, along with federal responsibilities.

RCMP now serves in a wide range of functions that include preventing and investigating crime, enforcing federal, provincial and territorial law, protecting national security and contributing to international intelligence-sharing and peace operations.

The Canada Post stamp program has a tradition of paying tribute to significant milestones, events and individuals’ contributions in Canadian history.