Photo: Brent Cotter.
On April 13, a Public Safety Canada news release noted: “Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, announced that the Honourable Brent Cotter has been appointed as the interim Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for a term of six months effective April 15, 2026.”
It adds: “Roxanne M. Gagné has been appointed the Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective April 20, 2026.”
The Toronto Star also notes: “Cotter, a former dean of the University of Saskatchewan’s law school, was a senator from 2020 to 2024, when he reached the upper chamber’s mandatory retirement age. …Gagné has served as director of Manitoba’s Independent Investigations Unit, a civilian oversight agency that probes incidents involving police and members of the public.”
One week ago, CBC News reported: “In March 2023, CRCC announced it would undertake a systemic investigation into the governance, structure and practices of the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police Community-Industry Response Group/ RCMP C-IRG] unit. [That report] is finished but can’t be finalized because the RCMP’s oversight body has been without a chairperson for more than a year.”
Peace Brigades International-Canada has been following the CRCC investigation of the C-IRG, now renamed the Critical Response Unit-British Columbia/ CRU-BC, for the past three years. Today we asked the CRCC if with these appointments the investigation into the C-IRG could be released within the six month term of the new CRCC chairperson (before October 15, 2026).
Further reading: CRCC systemic investigation into the RCMP C-IRG now completed, but unreleased due to “absence of a decision-maker” (March 19, 2026).
