Photo: The Canadian Press

Deputy RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme.

The federal government says Mike Duheme will be the interim commissioner of the RCMP, until a replacement is found for Brenda Lucki.

Lucki, who was appointed commissioner in April 2018, is retiring as of today.

Her tenure as the top Mountie has been marked by internal and external challenges, including allegations of systemic racism within the force, growing calls to defund the police, and the devastating mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says Duheme, who currently oversees federal policing for the Mounties, will take over the job on Saturday.

Duheme was among the RCMP officials to testify during last fall's Public Order Emergency Commission into the federal government's decision to use the Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" protests.

Mendicino says details of the process to find a permanent commissioner will be announced in due course.