OPINION: Fund First Nations policing, says Confederacy of Treaty Six Chiefs

The Confederacy of Treaty Six Chiefs are calling for the resignation of RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki to begin the process of reforming the systemic racism embedded in the RCMP.

Following the many needless killings of Indigenous peoples by RCMP officers in Canada—it is clear that full reform of the systemic and institutionalized racism in the entire department must be addressed immediately.

All RCMP officers and administration must be immediately screened for holding prejudice against people of colour especially Indigenous peoples and there must be zero tolerance policies implemented targeting racial discrimination.

In 2020, there is no excuse for the incompetence displayed by the RCMP Commissioner, following the killings of Rodney Levi, Chantel Moore, and many other Indigenous peoples because of systemic and institutionalized racism.

The RCMP is maintaining a relationship with Indigenous peoples consistent of violent settler colonialism and a complete ignorance to the Treaty Relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples in Canada.

“Commissioner Brenda Lucki’s statements in the last few days reveal that she does not possess the necessary knowledge or skills to remain as the RCMP Commissioner. She should step down or be removed immediately. This will benefit all Canadians, including the members of the RCMP,” (Senator Lillian) Dyck said in a statement Monday.

The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations stands to protect the Treaty and Inherent Rights between the Crown and Indigenous peoples and the RCMP must begin to honor the Treaty relationship to begin with targeting prejudice behaviour displayed by the RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

The Indigenous Bar Association which represents Indigenous lawyers, scholars and judges from across Canada has emphasized that “a major part of the solution is to return control of policing to Indigenous communities. Canada has recognized this to some extent since 1990, when it created the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP). Under this program, some First Nations have had the ability to have their own police forces. Over the years, however, the federal government capped the number of communities that could have ‘self-administered’ policing and scaled back funding.

The Confederacy of Treaty Six Chiefs demands the Federal Government of Canada support our Nations in the development [of] First Nations Policing in accordance with the Indigenous Bar Association’s call for justice to fundamentally reform policing in Canada.