Michael Duheme named interim replacement for Lucki at the RCMP

The federal government has named Michael Duheme as acting RCMP commissioner, assuming the role as the search continues to find Brenda Lucki’s permanent replacement.

Currently Deputy Commissioner, Duheme’s first day will be tomorrow, as today is Lucki’s last on the job.

The embattled commissioner announced last month that she was retiring after nearly 40 years on the force, in what Lucki called a “personal decision”.

In a statement, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino announced his interim choice, while the search for a permanent leader continues.

“I am confident that his vast experience in policing across the country and around the world has prepared him well to lead our national police force,” Mendicino said.

While Lucki publicly announced his departure a month ago, Mendicino still promises more details on the process of identifying the next commissioner “in due course”.

Duheme was previously responsible for the RCMP’s Federal Policing Program, which directs federal law enforcement, criminal intelligence gathering, investigation of national security matters, major event security and protective policing, which is the kind of security that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other senior officials receive.

He testified alongside Lucki at the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) late last year, telling the commission that his responsibility throughout the ‘freedom convoy’ protests was to ensure that Lucki had the right information to brief deputy ministers and cabinet members, and to coordinate requests for additional resources.

More recently, Duheme addressed lawmakers investigating foreign interference, where he said federal police had not received any “actionable intelligence” that would lead to an investigation into allegations of interference from Beijing.

“Deputy Commissioner Duheme had a distinguished career with the RCMP, serving Canadians for more than three decades in four provinces,” said Mendicino.

According to his RCMP biography, Duheme has been an RCMP officer for over 34 years. Originally from Quebec, he began his career in general service in Nova Scotia, but also served in a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, was a VIP protection officer and was director of the Parliamentary Protective Service.

“He strives to empower RCMP officers to create value for the communities the RCMP serves, both at home and abroad. He believes that the growing complexity of crime can be effectively countered by improving the organization’s ability to respond to threats in collaboration with domestic and foreign partners. “, we read in his biography.

Taking office as the National Police celebrates its 150th anniversary, Duheme takes the helm at a time when serious questions are being raised about the future of the RCMP and the continued work needed to address and reform years of systemic problems.

While saying the RCMP has an “extraordinary history,” Trudeau acknowledged the challenges ahead for the police force during a news conference on Friday.

“From the Emergencies Act commission’s report to the upcoming Nova Scotia mass casualty commission’s report, many experts are looking and thinking about how best to keep Canadians safe through best possible policing across the country,” said Trudeau.

“And as we move forward with the search for a new permanent Commissioner for the RCMP…I can assure you that we are looking very closely at how to ensure that the RCMP can continue to provide the best service to Canadians from coast to coast. the other side.”