Bev Busson

Beverley Ann Busson CM COM OBC (née MacDonald; born August 23, 1951) is a Canadian Senator and former police officer who served as the 21st commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) from December 2006 to June 2007. She was the first woman to hold this position[1] and was appointed on an interim basis in the wake of Giuliano Zaccardelli's resignation amid controversy.[2][3] Busson's subsequent appointment as a member of the Senate of Canada representing British Columbia was announced on September 24, 2018.[4]

The Honourable
Beverley Busson
CM COM OBC
Canadian Senator
from British Columbia
Assumed office
September 27, 2018
Nominated byJustin Trudeau
Appointed byJulie Payette
21st Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Interim
In office
December 16, 2006 – June 14, 2007
Preceded byGiuliano Zaccardelli
Succeeded byWilliam Elliott
Personal details
Born
Beverley Ann MacDonald

(1951-08-23) August 23, 1951
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political partyIndependent Senators Group
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
OccupationPolice officer
Known forFirst female commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Early life and police career

Busson was born as Beverley Ann MacDonald[5] on August 23, 1951, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974 after graduating with an education degree. She would later earn a law degree from the University of British Columbia.[6]

Rising up the ranks, Busson has worked for the RCMP in Salmon Arm, Vancouver, Ottawa and North Battleford, Saskatchewan (Assistant Commissioner and Commanding Officer in Saskatchewan). Prior to her appointment she was Deputy Commissioner for the Pacific Region (2000–2006) and took a leave from the force to head British Columbia's Organized Crime Agency (1999–2000).

Senate of Canada

During debate on use of the Emergencies Act, in relation to the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa, Busson stated in Senate that Ottawa had become an "amusement park for anarchists." She urged the Act be kept in place, noting encampments near Ottawa, "so these people do not again overwhelm the people who are trying to protect us;"[7] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped use of the Act later that day.[8]

Awards
OBC ribbon

In 2004, she was made a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. In 2006, she was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia.

On June 17, 2010, she was awarded the Doctor of Laws honorary degree by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.[9]

References
  1. "Former RCMP Commissioners". rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  2. "History of the RCMP". RCMP. December 17, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  3. "Beverley Busson to head RCMP". Vancouver Sun. December 16, 2006. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  4. Tasker, John Paul (September 24, 2018). "RCMP's first female commissioner one of Trudeau's two new picks for Senate". CBC News. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  5. "From start to finish, Bev Busson blazed the way for women". rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  6. "BEVERLEY BUSSON APPOINTED TO ADVISORY COUNCIL ON NATIONAL SECURITY". UBC. 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  7. Tasker, John Paul (February 23, 2022). "Conservative senator says 'friendly ... patriotic' Ottawa protesters have been demonized". CBC News. Toronto ON: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  8. Kristy Kirkup; Ian Bailey (February 23, 2022). "Ottawa is ending the use of the Emergencies Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  9. "SFU 2010 Honorary Degree Recipients". SFU. 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2015.


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