Topshee joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1990 and graduated from the
Royal Military College of Canada in 1994. He was given command of a
destroyer, , in July 2009 and was then deployed to Afghanistan as Director of Afghan National Police Training Operations in 2011. He went on to be Director of Operations for
Exercise RIMPAC in 2012, commander of
CFB Halifax in late 2012 and deputy director of the Strategy, Policy and Plans Directorate at
North American Aerospace Defense Command in 2015. He became commander of the Canadian Fleet Pacific in July 2018, commander of
Maritime Forces Pacific in May 2021 and
Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy in May 2022. Topshee was awarded the
Meritorious Service Medal on 19 December 2013. He was appointed as an
Officer of the Order of Military Merit on 12 October 2017, and he was made a Commander on 23 September 2022. ==Awards and decorations==