KAROL KUDYBA
News Writer

Related post: A conversation with Beverly McLachlin, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada

In a heavy dark suit, eyes darting everywhere, RCMP Sergeant Brent Taylor is charged with protecting Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin.

Before this assignment, he guarded the British prime minister, the governor general and various kings and queens during the Vancouver Olympics.

So how did a sergeant in the Saskatoon RCMP Integrated Proceeds of Crime unit end up guarding the chief justice?

“Because my unit is a federal unit, we end up cross training in other areas,” explained Sergeant Taylor, “They see how flexible we are and if we interact with the public well; you don’t want a bodyguard who pushes people around. Being hyper vigilant is one thing, being overbearing is another.”

One of four bodyguards trained in the city of Saskatoon with the RCMP, Taylor was asked to guard the chief justice, who in the bodyguard rating system rates as a level three protectee. In the chief justice’s case that warrants a safe ride from the airport, supplying a specially trained driver and being present at all public functions.

In case anyone is curious, the governor general ranks as four, the Canadian PM as a five and because of all the extra security they bring with them, the Queen of England and the president of the United States have a special rank at five-plus.

While guarding his charge, what does Sergeant Taylor look for in a room full of crowded people?

“Quite often when you’re in a large room like that, people are there for the purposes of hearing the speaker. And if there’s a person in the room that isn’t laughing or clapping when everyone else is as a member of the audience, you have to wonder.

“You end up watching for anomalies in the crowd. Sometimes just before a person ends up wanting to do something, they end up being very nervous, they want to check that they aren’t going to be caught. If they catch you looking around, they see that they might get caught. Just being there is enough quite often.”