In Canada almost all law-enforcement jobs require the polygraph. All federal government jobs that have a Top-Secret clearance also require a polygraph. The polygraph procedure is identical to the American one because the polygraph companies that supply the equipment and procedures are also American. And of course the polygraph is an American invention to begin with.

The Province of Ontario (Canada’s most populous and most important province) has outlawed the use of pre-employment polygraph screening, so there it is not used for sure because it is illegal. (Ontario has taken the lead in prohibiting the use of mandatory polygraph tests under its provincial Employment Standards Act. Polygraph testing has no place in any selection program.)

Here is an interesting presentation (RCMP Pre-Employment Polygraph Program Overview and Effectiveness Study Presentation):
http://www.acb.gov.jm/html/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/RCMP-Polygraph-Presentation-March-2011-v1.ppt
The presentation: slide 8 states “No trick or surprise questions”.  This is very inaccurate and misleading as there are many trick questions and surprises throughout, and especially at the end (as anyone who has actually undergone one can attest). But the RCMP is very good at marketing, so the view that the recruiting process is fair, effective and transparent is continuously pushed forward (although the reality is very different).

By the way, the RCMP only started using PEP in 2005 and later, so a current polygraph examiner never had to do it as part of his or her recruiting process.