He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1981 and remains a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada as a non-practicing lawyer.
Elliott was promoted in 1990 to Chief of Staff to Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski in the Mulroney government, a position he held until 1992.
In 1994, he was promoted to Senior General Counsel and Head of Legal Services, Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
Elliott was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet in 2003, responsible for the Security and Intelligence Secretariat of the Privy Council Office.
Public perceptions are that the force's problems are rooted in its institutional culture and many felt that someone from outside the Canadian policing milieu and "free of loyalties" was necessary to effect necessary change.
[4] In the event, he hung on until late November 2011,[5][6] one month after releasing his report into the Mayerthorpe shootings, and placing squarely on the plate of the next commissioner the C8 carbine rollout.
Elliott's responsibilities included working to facilitate and enhance co-operation between INTERPOL and the United Nations and its agencies on matters of terrorism, transnational organized crime and international police cooperation.
As Commissioner of the RCMP, Elliott holds the Commission of Principal Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.
While Ontario has ceased appointments to the rank of Queen's Counsel, membership continues to exist in various provinces within Canada and Commonwealth countries around the world.