Members of Parliament convened in Canada’s House of Commons for an emergency debate on Monday evening to address six recent deaths of First Nations individuals in interactions with police forces across the country. NDP MP Lori Idlout requested the debate on the first day of the fall sitting of the House of Commons after the summer break, saying the issue requires immediate parliamentary attention after the incidents occurred in a very short time frame spanning five different provinces.
In her letter to House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, MP Idlout had described the deaths to be a ‘disturbing pattern’ and had criticized the lack of media coverage as well as the government’s failure to pass legislation on First Nations policing. The six deaths that prompted this debate occurred within two weeks between August 29 and September 8.
MP’s discussed various aspects of the issue, including the need for accountability through independent investigations into each of the deaths, potential legislative measures to improve First Nations policing, as well as strategies to address systemic issues in policing that affect Indigenous communities. Some MPs also discussed the need to explore alternative approaches that prioritize relationship-building and trust between police and Indigenous communities in the meeting.
David Milward, an associate professor of law at the University of Victoria and a member of Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, described the recent deaths as “more of the same” in terms of policing issues in Canada and emphasized the need for fundamental changes in policing approaches. National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, said the deaths demonstrate systemic issues across the country and demanded accountability from police through independent investigations into each of the deaths. The RCMP said in a written statement that since the investigation is ongoing, they are restricted in their ability to comment.
The emergency debate comes against a backdrop of longstanding concerns about the disproportionate impact of policing on Indigenous communities in Canada, with statistics revealing that Indigenous people are significantly overrepresented in police-involved deaths and within the criminal justice system more broadly. This also comes in the wake of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which found the issue to be a significant human rights crisis in Canada. There has also been a broader movement towards reconciliation in Canada in recent years, which has been gaining momentum since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action in 2015, which urged the Canadian government to support aboriginal peoples. Further, the Canadian government announced in January a settlement to the class-action lawsuit for the residential school system. This also comes in the wake of significant investments by the government to establish the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and implement policies that support Indigenous self-determination and economic development.
