Former Ottawa police chief Vern White resigns from Senate

Former Ottawa police chief Vern White is leaving the Senate about a decade after being appointed to the job.

White’s office said he is resigning effective Sunday.

The 63-year-old was eligible to serve in the Senate until 2034, when he turns 75. But White said Thursday it was never his plan to serve until the mandatory retirement age.

“When I came to the Senate I said that I would not serve until 75. At the time I’d anticipated six to nine years,” he told CTV News. “COVID kind of pushed me an extra year, so it’s 10 years.

“I think I’ll find something else that gives me some passion, and the Senate right now is not doing it.”

Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed White to the Red Chamber in 2012. Before then, White was the Ottawa police chief for five years, and served as Durham police chief and for many years in the RCMP before that.

White said he’s not leaving the Senate unhappy, saying the role gave him “a great level of enjoyment.”

“I think the Senate is operating as well or even better than it has in the past,” he said. “I’m not leaving dissatisfied. It’s just time to find something I’m passionate about.”

White said he is moving to northern Finland, where his family has had a home for over a decade and his wife and daughter remain. The family spent the summer there and his daughter is enrolled in a local school.

White said he plans to do some guest lecturing and consulting.

“For now, it’s a place for us to rest our heads and enjoy life.”