The Mounties say they are going to take a new look at 284 sexual assault cases that they originally classified as unfounded.
The decision comes after the RCMP reviewed 2,225 sexual assault files from 2016 in which police concluded that no violation of the law had taken place or was attempted.
The force says 1,260 of the unfounded cases were misclassified and the 284 need further investigation.
The RCMP says a team in Ottawa reviewed reports from divisions across the country to assess all aspects of sexual assault investigations, consult with external stakeholders, partners and experts and provide direction on how to improve investigations.
In all, the Mounties say they responded to 10,038 reported sexual assaults in 2016.
Before the review, 22 per cent of the cases were ruled unfounded, but that label now covers 9.6 per cent.