Current Problems

Justice (25-42)

Indigenous Police Forces

September 27, 2020

Toronto Star – Indigenous Police Forces only police force in Canada not classified as an essential service. The federal government has promised four times “to speed up the development of a legal framework to recognize First Nations policing as an essential service”:

  • after the 2019 election,
  • after the Coastal GasLInk protests in BC
  • in the 2020 Speech from the Throne
  • In June after multiple incidents of police violence against Indigenous people across Canada

“The funding that we receive from them is inadequate to provide the necessary services that our communities require,” said Rama police Chief Jerel Swamp said….Swamp said none of the First Nations policing services or their police boards have been consulted on what legislation need to include, which he argues is essential….The government also hasn’t approached the leaders of the Indigenous communities on the issue yet, he said.”