After facing mounting pressure to step down over allegations of political interference, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki announced on Wednesday that she will be retiring from her post next month.
In a statement put out by Lucki, she said that the decision was a personal one after serving five years as the nation’s top cop.
“This was not an easy decision as I love the RCMP and have loved being the 24th Commissioner,” said Lucki.
“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.”
Last year, Lucki was accused by a number of RCMP officials of interfering in the investigation of the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting in order to assist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s gun control agenda.
“The commissioner told my colleagues and I that we didn’t understand, that this was tied to pending legislation that would make officers and the public safer,” claimed RCMP Chief Superintendent Darren Campbell. “The commissioner made me feel as if I was stupid.”
Lucki was accused of requesting that investigators publish confidential details to the general public. Soon after the shooting, Trudeau announced a slate of firearm bans.
Campbell’s report was also corroborated by former RCMP strategic communications director Lia Scanlan.
“I would never dispute Darren Campbell’s notes and at the end of the day, whether we’re saying promise, pressure, influence — they all lead to the same end result,” said Scanlan.
At the time, Scanlan described Lucki’s behaviour towards her fellow RCMP officers as “appalling, inappropriate, unprofessional and extremely belittling.”
During her tenure, Lucki had also claimed that the RCMP was infected with “systemic racism” and claimed that a six-foot broad jump could be seen as one example.
“Yes, there’s absolutely systemic racism. I can give you a couple of examples that we’ve found over the years,” said Lucki.
“Evidence told us that the average person can broad jump their height. Of course, how many six-foot people do we hire? And there are people in all different cultures that may not be six feet, including there’s not a lot of women that are six feet tall, that would not be able to get through that type of test.”
