Saskatchewan senator calls for RCMP boss to resign

OTTAWA — A Saskatchewan senator says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki should resign or be removed to ensure the national police force can properly serve Indigenous communities.

Sen. Lillian Dyck says Lucki has shown recently she does not fully understand systemic racism or have the knowledge and skills be the country’s top policewoman.

Dyck, a member of the Progressive Senate Group and the first First Nations woman named to the upper chamber, says the commissioner’s departure would benefit all Canadians, including RCMP members.

Lucki initially stopped short last week of endorsing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assessment that the police force, like all Canadian institutions, exhibits systemic racism.

In a sudden reversal Friday, Lucki expressed regret for not doing so.

Trudeau has expressed confidence in Lucki, saying she wants to be part of the solution to entrenched racism.