Bob Paulson

23rd Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Vic Toews
Steven Blaney
Ralph Goodale

Preceded byWilliam ElliottSucceeded byDan Dubeau (acting) Personal detailsBorn

Robert Wilfred Paulson

1958 (age 65–66)
Lachute, Quebec, CanadaChildren3Residence(s)Ottawa, OntarioAlma materSimon Fraser UniversityOccupationPolice, Member of Canadian Forces^[1]

Robert Wilfred Paulson, COM (born 1958) is a former Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He retired from the RCMP at the end of June 2017.

Life and career

Paulson was born in Lachute, Quebec in 1958. His father was an Icelandic Canadian from Winnipeg and his mother was French Canadian. Growing up, he was a member of Cadets Canada.^[2] Paulson's older brother was a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy.^[3]

RCAF career (1975-1984)

Paulson joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Pilot after high school,^[2] serving from 1977 - 1984. He worked as a flight instructor and aviation administrator at CFB Moose Jaw and CFB North Bay. He left the Canadian Forces in 1984.

RCMP career (1986-2017)

Following his military career, Paulson spent two years at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby and then joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a Cadet in 1986.^[2] Paulson's first posting was to the Chilliwack RCMP Detachment. He spent the next 19 years in various RCMP postings in British Columbia before being transferred to National Headquarters in Ottawa.^[4] Paulson was the driving force behind Operation E-Pandora against the Hells Angels East End Vancouver chapter. In 2006 Paulson told the journalists William Marsden and Julian Sher: "The East End chapter is the most senior, the most powerful. If we were successful in taking them out, that's where we would have the most impact on their operations".^[5] As part of E-Pandora, in October 2003 Paulson signed on the behalf of the RCMP the contract with the informer Michael Plante.^[6]

From November 2010 to November 2011 Paulson served as the Deputy Commissioner for Federal Policing.

On 21 November 2011 Paulson was promoted to Commissioner,^[7]^[8] one month following the release of his predecessor's recommendations about the Mayerthorpe killing spree.^[9]

In December 2013 Paulson refused to comment on proposed changes to the way police deal with marijuana offences. He was quoted as saying "I'm a simple country cop, you know? I'm in the business of policing and others are in the business of policy and law".^[10] However, the following year he opined "The people that use drugs are not the people we got to be bothering, right? We've got to be sort of helping them."^[11]

As per RCMP memo RCMP Paulson retired on 30 June 2017,^[12] one week before his glacial rollout of the C8 carbine was the crux in the Canadian Labour Code trial of the RCMP over the 2015 Bourque killing spree.^[13] The result of the trial was the conviction of the organization led by Paulson for close to seven years.^[14]

Awards

	Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)	2012
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012
	Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal	2006

Books

Sher, Julian; Marsden, William (2006). Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers' Empire of Crime. Toronto: Alfred Knopf Canada. ISBN 9780307370327.

References

^ Fitzpatrick, Meagan (2011-11-16). "New top Mountie Paulson vows accountability". CBC. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hopper, Tristin (2011-11-16). "Bob Paulson took on bikers and terrorists". National Post. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
^ "Transcript: Bob Paulson".
^ "Bob Paulson Biography". Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
^ Sher & Marsden 2006, p. 432.
^ Bolan, Kim (27 January 2013). "Inside the Hells Angels Part 3: From informant to a key police agent". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
^ "PM announces the appointment of the next Commissioner of the RCMP". Government of Canada. 16 November 2011.
^ Leblanc, Daniel (8 December 2011). "Paulson takes command of RCMP, pledging focus on 'core business'". The Globe and Mail Inc.
^ "Front-line RCMP officers to get high-powered guns". The Globe and Mail. 8 May 2018 [21 October 2011].
^ Crawford, Alison (2013-12-03). "Pot fine proposal draws no opinion from RCMP's Bob Paulson". CBC. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
^ Stone, Laura (2014-09-24). "Lunch with RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson: Marijuana use 'not as big a deal as it used to be'". Global. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
^ "Search begins for new top Mountie as RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson says he'll retire in June". Toronto Star. March 6, 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
^ "RCMP 'played the odds' with officer safety and it proved fatal, Crown argues". CBC. 4 July 2017.
^ "RCMP guilty of Labour Code violations in 2014 Moncton shooting spree". Maclean's, an arm of St. Joseph Communications. Canadian Press. 29 September 2017.