Mountie remembered as a ‘gentle giant’
MONTREAL — An RCMP officer killed in the line of duty in Quebec this week was remembered Tuesday as a “gentle giant” who was fulfilling a lifelong dream by working for the federal force.
Const. Richer Dubuc, 42, a seven-year veteran of the force, had only been stationed in Quebec since early this year, the Mounties said in a statement.
The married father of four died from injuries after a crash Monday night between his RCMP vehicle and a farm tractor in Lacolle, near the U.S.-Canada border.
“The great RCMP family is deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague,” the force said. “We offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Richer.”
Supt. Paul Beauchesne, the officer who oversees the Codiac detachment where Dubuc began working upon graduating from the RCMP training academy, said his former colleague had achieved a lifelong ambition.
“Richer was known as a man of ‘large stature’ with a personality that matched,” Beauchesne said in a statement.
“His co-workers called him ‘the gentle giant’ because he was very tall and always in good spirits. “We are all feeling his loss.” The collision occurred on Highway 202 near Roxham Road, an area frequently used by migrants crossing into Canada on foot from the United States.
RCMP officers have been dealing with a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving this way in Quebec and Manitoba.
A moment of silence was held in the House of Commons on Tuesday to mark Dubuc’s death.