'I did my best': Brenda Lucki retiring as RCMP commissioner
CTV
Embattled RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki has announced she is stepping down, saying that she is leaving knowing 'I did my best.' In a statement, Lucki says she's decided to retire and her last day will be March 17.
Embattled RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is stepping down, saying that she is leaving knowing she did her best.
In a statement announcing what she called a "personal decision," Lucki said she has decided to retire ahead of reaching five years in the role. Her last day will be March 17, 2023.
“This was not an easy decision as I love the RCMP and have loved being the 24th Commissioner," Lucki said. "I am so incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to lead this historic organization and witness first hand the tremendous work being done each and every day."
Lucki's departure comes after a rocky tenure as Canada's top Mountie and amid uncertainty over whether her five-year term would be renewed.
As Commissioner, Lucki has been in the hot seat on a few occasions in recent years, and this move comes just ahead of the release of the Public Order Emergency Commission's report into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act. That report is set to be made public in days, and not far behind it will be the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission's final report into the 2020 mass killing in the province, expected by the end of March.
During testimony from Lucki and others during the federal Emergencies Act Commission as well as through documentation made public as part of the massive inquiry, it came to light that Lucki felt that officials hadn't used "all available tools" to dismantle the "Freedom Convoy" protests but did not adequately speak up to express this during a key meeting prior to the invocation.
This prompted Alberta's justice minister to call for her resignation, to which Lucki responded by asserting she remained "fully committed to leading the RCMP."
