It was a sight to fuel even more rampant speculation.

Late Thursday afternoon, two men in the Mounties' dark blue dress uniform strode into a building in downtown Ottawa.

The men were RCMP Deputy Commissioners Pierre-Yves Bourduas and Bill Sweeney. The building was Langevin Block, which houses the Prime Minister's Office.

Both heavily decorated officers, the men are considered frontrunners for the job of RCMP Commissioner.
Sweeney heads up the Northwest Region and considered by many to be an affable cop's cop. Canadians may remember Sweeney being at the helm in Alberta when four Mounties were murdered at Mayerthorpe. One of his weaknesses though is he doesn't speak French.

Bourduas is fully bilingual. He served most of his career in Atlantic Canada and as the commanding officer in Quebec. Bourduas has significant experience fighting organized crime and now heads up the central region in Ottawa.

While both are strong candidates, many feel the government should NOT appoint a Mountie. With all the troubles plaguing the RCMP these days, including the pension scandal and infighting among officers who disagree on whether to unionize the force, some say an outsider would have the best perspective on where to steer the RCMP.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is expected to announce the new commissioner Friday at 10:00 a.m.