R-C-M-P Commissioner Brenda Lucki says she will retire from the national police force on March 17th as she approaches the end of a five-year term.
Lucki says she is leaving knowing she did her best and takes comfort that the R-C-M-P is well-placed to shine in its 150th year.
Her turbulent time as the top Mountie included the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history, the COVID-19 pandemic, and protests that paralyzed downtown Ottawa and several border crossings early last year.
In April 2018, Lucki assumed command of a police force divided by internal dissension over long-standing problems such as bullying and harassment.
The R-C-M-P has come under intense scrutiny over its response to the horrific events of April 18th and 19th 2020, when a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.
Lucki has also been forced to answer for the force's treatment of Indigenous people amid concerns about police discrimination and brutality.