Michelaine Lahaie

Michelaine Lahaie was appointed as Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRCC) in January 2019.

Ms. Lahaie has appeared before several committees to highlight the CRCC's mission, vision and guiding principles and the role the CRCC plays in policing.

Of note, she has appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) on the subject of systemic racism in policing services in Canada and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia's Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act.

During her tenure as Chairperson, Ms. Lahaie has issued recommendations to the RCMP related to issues such as:

• The use of strip searches;
• Police response to persons in crisis and wellness checks;
• Improved prisoner care;
• Sexual assault investigations;
• Response and treatment of individuals experiencing problematic substance abuse concerns; and
• Allegations of discrimination and/or bias by police.

Ms. Lahaie is the President of the Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE) and is an active member of the Heads of Federal Agencies and the Council of Federal Administrative Tribunals Heads (CFATH).

In addition to her role as president of CACOLE, Ms. Lahaie hosts an annual fall meeting that brings together provincial oversight partners—both the complaint and review bodies as well as the serious incident agencies—and provides a forum for them to address issues of mutual concern, discuss how to better share information, and collaborate on improving public awareness of the role of police oversight agencies.

Background

Ms. Lahaie is a 30-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, retiring at the rank of Naval Captain in 2017. She was the recipient of the Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation for Outstanding Leadership and Professionalism in 2014 for her role as Commandant of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, where she had the distinction of being the first woman Commanding Officer.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Lahaie served as a member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

Ms. Lahaie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean and a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.