Biography: Rachel Huggins
Rachel Huggins is the Deputy Police Complaint Commissioner, Police Accountability with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, British Columbia. She is a seasoned public service executive with more than 20 years of experience in policing, public safety, and legislative development. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to fairness, accountability, and strengthening public trust in law enforcement.
Most recently, Rachel served almost seven years with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), where she held the role of Deputy Director and Executive Lead for Cannabis Legalization within the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau. In this position, she guided the operational implementation of new federal legislation and developed province wide procedures to support frontline officers in enforcing a complex and evolving legal framework.
Prior to her work with the OPP, Rachel spent 16 years with the federal government, where she led major legislative and policy initiatives focused on community safety and policing. Her work included developing national strategies, advising senior officials, and shaping regulatory frameworks to support effective and accountable law enforcement across Canada.
Rachel has also represented Canada on the world stage, as a delegate to the Inter American Drug Abuse Control Commission and through her participation in United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime negotiations. In these roles, she contributed to international drug policy resolutions and collaborated with global partners on cross border enforcement and public health strategies.
Her combined experience at various levels of government and internationally has given her deep insight into the operational realities of policing and the broader societal impacts of legislation, oversight and the importance of focusing on community safety and wellbeing.
Rachel has a Bachelor of Honours and a Master of Arts in Sociology from Concordia University, as well as an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the Stitt Feld Handy Group.
