The Honourable Brent Cotter
Brent Cotter was appointed as Interim Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP on April 15, 2026.
From 2014 to 2020, Mr. Cotter chaired the Government of Saskatchewan's Public Complaints Commission, which provides civilian oversight of police, and from 2015-2016 he served as the President of the Canadian Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE).
A former professor at Dalhousie Law School and former dean of the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, Mr. Cotter is one of the original professors and writers in the field of legal ethics in Canada, including extensive experience in public service and the law. He is a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan and the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society.
He is a founding board member of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and served on an advisory board to Inclusion Saskatchewan. He served as the President of the Council of Canadian Law Deans, as well as a member of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Literacy Foundation, and as the University Fundraising Chair for the United Way. He was also a member of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada's Advisory Committee on Implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.
Mr. Cotter was Saskatchewan's Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General. He also served as Saskatchewan's Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, where he led the development and implementation of a nationally recognized, government-wide program of services for First Nations and Métis peoples.
Mr. Cotter was nominated to the Senate of Canada by the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau on January 31, 2020. He was a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. He was subsequently the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators, before retiring in 2024.