TORONTO

“I admire Vic Toews’ tenacity.” — Julian Fantino

With the long-time sheriff riding into the sunset, a lot of people in crime and criminal justice are wondering just who will be riding in to be Canada’s next top lawman?

A former legendary police chief?

A solid minister of defence who could one day be a candidate for prime minister?

Perhaps a new, less polarizing, face?

Maybe a law woman?

There are several good candidates — and even more rumours.

Time will tell how Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffles his cabinet.

Meanwhile, one group of Canadians glad to see Public Safety Minister Vic Toews retire are those sitting in prison thanks to his reforms.

The 60-year-old former Manitoba prosecutor, who Monday announced his retirement from politics, laughed at such an assertion.

“I have been in to visits lots of prisons and have had inmates say to me ‘Why are you so hard on us?’ But they know the game.” And so does Toews.

He played a feisty one over the years.

Being scorned, smeared and even threatened for trying to keep Canadians safe is a reputation he definitely wears like a badge of honour.

A Sheriff’s badge.

“He will be missed by people in the government and by the country as a whole,” said International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino, who spent most of his 40 years in public service in policing.

“I feel a kinship with him,” said Fantino. “He and his family paid a price for his conviction and strong stands. I understand what he went through.”

Toews went through plenty in his seven years in cabinet — mostly taking on difficult issues like border problems, international terrorism, deporting war criminals, human trafficking and crimes on children.

It’s now, he said, time to spend more of his energy on his own two small children.

Their dad was a polarizing public figure.

But an effective one.

His legacy will be his attempts to tighten up loose justice laws — sometimes even so much so that he crossed over the personal privacy thresholds with his failed online protection legislation.

He said he has no regrets because his focus was on protecting children. It brought on attacks on his personal life but he didn’t waiver and handled it all with class.

“I remember when we first came into power and a lot of people were saying we are going to be building all sorts of new prisons.” Its not the way it worked out.

Truth is there are more people in prison since the no-nonsense criminal justice reformer took office.

But not tens of thousands as predicted.

“Its about 1,000,” he said proudly.

And those extra federal inmates being incarcerated, he said, makes the whole country safer.

“The mandatory minimums are the key,” he said. “I have been told by police that because people can get three years just for carrying a gun means less are.” It used to be a person may pack heat as a “status symbol” but the tough new rules make it riskier.

This, according to Toews, means there are reduced opportunities for guns to come out at any time, making Canada safer.

He has been an MP since 2000 and in Harper’s cabinet since 2006.

Sometimes a controversial figure, the 60-year-old Toews said he feels good about his achievement.

“Of course, there are always things you’d like to get done that you didn’t but I can look a victim in the eye or a criminal in the eye.” His tough-on-crime stand won him praise from victims’ groups and scorn from social justice advocates and some defence lawyers.

“I had one lawyer tell me the other day that ‘You are killing us by lower the recidivism because recidivism is our lifeblood.’ I laughed at the comment because recidivism is something we must stop to help keep community safer.” Toews said he understood his strong stand would garner opposition attacks that could become personal.

He said despite threats and a smear campaign that targeted his personal life, he knew it was the right to not back down.

“The people who were after him are the people who are soft on crime,” said Fantino. “Vic did a tremendous job. He did the right things.” Fantino is right about both.

But he wouldn’t bite when I asked him about being an obvious shortlister to replace Toews.

“It’s like being a player on a team, you serve where the coach asks you to,” said Fantino with a laugh. “I am happy to serve wherever the prime minister needs me.” Public safety would be such a perfect fit for Fantino and the country, too.

It’s like he has been training for it his whole life.

He’d be the ideal person to come in and finish the job Toews began.

The former chief of police for Toronto, York, London and the OPP would never say it on a day when his colleague is stepping away but public safety would be his dream portfolio.

Fantino may be the perfect choice to sell a zero-tolerance approach to crime fighting in an era where Liberal leader Justin Trudeau might push a lighter approach.

Toews said no matter who gets the nod to be his successor, he’s glad to have had the opportunity to make his mark.

While it’s ultimately Harper’s decision, all eyes will be on just who puts on the white hat and takes on the role of being Canada’s top cop.