Reid Morden, the former director of Canada's spy agency, has been appointed to perform a workplace assessment of the RCMP.

The national police force has been under fire recently after several senior officers complained to senior government officials about Commissioner William Elliott's management style, alleging he is verbally abusive.

Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews announced Friday that Morden will head up a workplace assessment in response to those allegations.

Morden is the former deputy minister of foreign affairs and the former president of Atomic Energy of Canada.

He was also an adviser to Justice Jeffrey O'Connor during the Maher Arar inquiry and served from 2004 to 2006 as executive director of the independent inquiry into the United Nations' oil-for-food program in Iraq.

"Mr. Morden ... brings to this process decades of experience and demonstrated capacity to manage conflict within complex environments,” Toews said in a statement.

“This government will continue its work to reform and strengthen our national police force, and remains committed to ensuring the RCMP becomes a stronger, more accountable organization.”