andy108 said:
Well, i've seen cases requesting it, from temp. residents who applied...
it can be requested, but only from some applicants. It is NOT required at the time of application. CIC makes this perfectly clear:
"Do I need to provide a Police Certificate with my Application for Permanent Residence? No"
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/canada.asp
CIC does it's own name-based checks for ALL applicants. Only if a record is returned for someone with the same name as you, will you get a request for a fingerprint based RCMP check.