Top Mountie ousted by Higgs flagged political 'influence' on policing
CBC
The RCMP's top officer in New Brunswick raised concerns about political interference by the Higgs government when he was ousted from the job in 2021, according to a letter he wrote at the time.
Assistant commissioner Larry Tremblay wrote in the letter, obtained by CBC News, that his removal was the result of disagreements with the provincial government over its vision that "blurs the lines between politics and policing."
"In my view, it is imperative that the provincial police remain independent and free from influence in the application and enforcement of laws," he wrote in the July 26, 2021, letter to then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki.
Tremblay wrote the letter 11 days after the government invoked a section of its policing contract with the RCMP to demand Tremblay's removal as the head of J Division in New Brunswick.
Ted Flemming, as justice and public safety minister, said at the time that he had "no confidence" that Tremblay could "drive the change" to fight drug crime and be accountable to local communities policed by the RCMP — two priorities for the government, he said.
In his letter to Lucki, Tremblay said that wasn't true.
He told the commissioner that Flemming's letter was the first time anyone from the Higgs government told the RCMP that drug crime was its top priority, and that a "directional statement" from the province didn't refer to it as a priority.
Until he was called to a meeting on June 30, 2021, "I had not received any prior indication" that the partnership between the province and the RCMP "was anything but positive and future focused," he wrote.
"I believe the request for my removal is not related to a lack of provincial drug enforcement or community engagement and accountability," he continued.
"I believe this request stems from a different vision of the role of the provincial police that blurs the lines between politics and policing, and the resulting direction provided to police."
The three-page letter also provided details of the force's efforts on drug crime and said the RCMP's reporting structure through regional service commissions made it "extremely difficult to demonstrate to local communities the value of our service."
Tremblay's letter did not identify specific examples of blurred lines between politics and policing.
But he wrote the Higgs government and the RCMP had "principled differences" on issues, including "a measured approach to lawful protests" and Crown-Indigenous relations, as well as on policing standards, intelligence sharing and external reviews of incidents.
Three months before Tremblay's removal, the premier announced he was ending tax-sharing agreements with 13 First Nations communities in the province.
This story was first published on Oct. 20, 2025.
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