Lori Seale-Irving is the Mounties first Black female Superintendent
May 10, 2022
Asked by a senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer responsible for ceremonial duties if she wanted to be in the welcoming party in the reception area at Ottawa Airport in February 2009 to greet United States President Barack Obama on his first international trip, Lori Seale-Irving did not hesitate to reply.
As America’s first Black President, accompanied by Governor General Michaelle Jean who was Canada’s first Black Head of State, walked into the room, he headed straight for Seale-Irving.
“The President shook my hand and with a big smile said, ‘It’s nice to meet you’,” she recalled. “It was so genuine. The Governor General was by his side and we all had a laugh as we recognized the significance of the moment. He didn’t have to say much. It was so awe-inspiring.”
Then the first self-identified Black female RCMP member to become a commissioned officer two years earlier, Seale-Irving was recently promoted to Superintendent, making her the first Black woman to hold the rank with the Mounties.
“This is such an honour for me and I would not be here without the support of family, friends and colleagues who provided me opportunities to develop,” she said. “It has been quite the journey and I take this role seriously.”
Seale-Irving is in charge of overseeing the RCMP’s Learning & Development National Leadership Program that provides a cohesive leadership continuum for employees as they advance within the organization. This continuum begins with the Foundations of Leadership (FOL) suite of online courses and includes the design and delivery of leadership training at the supervisory, managerial and executive levels. She and her team are also in the process of modernizing leadership training and developing a national mentorship program.
The RCMP has leadership training centres in the Pacific, Northwest and Central East regions.
“It’s pretty exciting times to be contributing to modernizing the RCMP at large along with current and future leaders and taking a holistic lens in doing so,” said Seale-Irving. “This includes taking into consideration initiatives that support Vision 150 such as Leader Character, the People Strategy and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy in terms of developing these new programs. It is a good time to be where I am right now.”
The RCMP, in 2018, launched Vision 150 that is a comprehensive multi-year modernization plan to ensure that the organization is healthy, modern and trusted.
Last year, it rolled out the first-ever EDI strategy while pushing reconciliation strategies across the country with focused activities in each division. It also integrated Gender-Based Analysis Plus as a tool to identify and eliminate barriers in its policies and practices.
Prior to the promotion, Seale-Irving was the Officer in Charge of the Central East leadership centre that covers Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.
She was also part of the working group that developed the ‘Uniting Against Racism’ online learning series in the wake of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis in May 2020 that sparked a racial reckoning for millions around the world and galvanized many to speak up and be more vocal on racial issues.
“That was a first for the RCMP in terms of developing training with a focus on anti-racism,” Seale-Irving pointed out. “We consulted extensively with other police services, advisory committees, other government departments, recognized internal and external experts and researchers. I am very fortunate to be part of the development of that training. Since the George Floyd incident, I find we are having more open discussions on racism and discrimination and sharing lived experiences. To be honest, this didn’t happen before. Now, folks are more receptive to having these sometimes difficult conversations.”
Growing up on a military base as the daughter of a decorated veteran inspired the trailblazer, who has two sons ages 20 and 17, to pursue a law enforcement career.
Don Seale, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Major, passed away last September in Ottawa.
Born in New Brunswick, he was one of the first Blacks to play NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I collegiate hockey in the United States when he enrolled at Clarkson University on a full scholarship in 1954. Earning a Business degree, he returned to Canada and played semi-pro hockey before joining the RCAF as a commissioned officer.
Considered the ‘Jackie Robinson of Clarkson Hockey’, the family patriarch was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame five years ago.
“Both he and my mom, Juanita, who was born and raised in Halifax and very hardworking and independent, instilled in me that if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything,” she noted. “I just can’t say enough about their influence on me and my children. They are our role models.”
Seale-Irving, who has an Economics degree from the University of Ottawa, joined the RCMP 32 years ago.
“I always wanted a career where I could serve my community and country,” she said. “The Mounties is iconic and I figured that was the organization that I could get the most out of in terms of professional experience and opportunities. There are so many roles you could work in in different provinces.”
Starting in Burnaby that is the second largest detachment after Surrey, she worked in Traffic and performed general duties for six years before transferring to Ottawa and joining the Prime Minister Protection Detail that is responsible for ensuring security of the Prime Minister and his family in Canada and overseas along with the official residences.
Seale-Irving joined as a bodyguard at a time when the RCMP was increasing protection after an intruder with a knife entered 24 Sussex Drive in November 1995. Jean Chretien and his wife Aline were holed up in a bedroom for nearly 10 minutes before RCMP officers arrived.
“The unit was increased quite a bit and they brought in resources from across the country,” she said. “I had to pass the training requirements. That was a very good experience.”
At the time, there were very few female members in the unit and they rarely drove the PM’s armoured limousine.
Seale-Irving jumped at the opportunity when asked by a supervisor if she would be interested in performing that role.
“That was quite the experience along with being able to bodyguard the PM,” she said. “Sometimes, Mrs. Chretien required a female to provide security for her depending on where she was going. I was fortunate to be able to bodyguard both Mr. and Mrs. Chretien.”
After almost five years in that position, Seale-Irving was assigned to the Strategic Planning Unit.
“This really helped me in terms of my career because it was the first time that I was introduced to strategic planning at the business line level,” the International Association of Women Police member said.
Promoted to Corporal in 2004, Seale-Irving was commissioned three years later. In that role, she helped develop new programs, including the RCMP’s Marine Security Operations Centre (MSOC) that was established in 2004 following the release of Canada’s National Security Policy.
Equipped with capability to support a national response to perceived and real marine security threats, the centres are located in Halifax, Victoria that is led by the Department of National Defence and Niagara that is led by the RCMP.
With support from other racialized RCMP employees, Seale-Irving created a national diversity employee network that will enable employees to connect, support and share experiences.
“We have met with senior management to identify challenges and barriers for racialized employees and provide recommendations,” said Seale-Irving whose older brother, Mark, played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League and was a 12th round New York Giants selection in the 1982 National Football League draft before becoming a banking executive in New York. “I am inspired by the large amount of expertise and experience in this network.”
Over the years, female and racialized RCMP members allege they have been subjected to racism and other forms of discrimination by colleagues and management.
In 2016, then Mounties Commissioner Bob Paulson apologized to female members who were harassed, demeaned, belittled or assaulted as he announced a $100 million package.
How much has changed in the last six years?
“There is more awareness and accountability in addition to training that is in place to address some of these issues,” said Seale-Irving who, in 2018, completed the Executive Development in Policing program and plans to pursue a Master’s in Police Leadership. “Other initiatives such as the implementation of the RCMP’s EDI Strategy and Gender based analysis are important.”
Gender based analysis plus is an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, age and mental/physical disability. As the RCMP modernizes, culture change and building a more inclusive and healthy organization are priorities.”
Outside her busy professional career, Seale-Irving loves reading, watching movies, travelling and engaging with family and friends.
An active volunteer with her sons’ hockey and soccer teams, serving in several roles, including manager, treasurer and trainer, she was the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE) for a period in 2021.
The RCMP recruited women for the first time in 1974.
Shelley Peters, the daughter of Canada’s first Black jet fighter pilot Walter Peters who died in 2013, was the first Black female to join the Mounties in July 1982.
Walter Peters and Don Seale were close friends.
Seale-Irving joins Isobel Granger (Ottawa), Stacy Clarke (Toronto) and Treena MacSween (Hamilton) as the highest-ranking Black female law enforcement officers in Canada.
