Trudeau recommends new policing model

Outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau used his final days in office to call for the creation of a new Indigenous policing model in the country. While the recommendation is encouraging to hear, it came years too late, said Dwayne Zacharie, police chief for the Kahnawake Peacekeepers. 

“It’s too bad he’s saying it now. When he was in power, we were asking for First Nation policing to be recognized as an essential service,” said Zacharie, also the vice-president of the Quebec Association of First Nation and Inuit Police Directors (QAFNIPD).

The call from Trudeau was made in a report he made public on March 10 proposing a major reform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). 

According to the now former prime minister, instead of providing local policing, the force should instead focus on matters of national security, like violent extremism, terrorism, money laundering, cybercrime, and organized crime. With that, it should move away from policing Indigenous communities - about 600 of which are currently under its jurisdiction. ​​

“Canada should collaborate with territorial leaders and Indigenous partners to define a new policing model to support fair access to adequate and effective policing services that reflect their unique needs and circumstances,” read the report, “A new policing vision for Canada: Modernizing the RCMP.”

“It is essential to recognize that RCMP history in providing support to communities has not been universally positive, particularly for Indigenous communities,” it said.

The report also acknowledged recommendations made last year by Canada’s auditor general to ensure police services in First Nation and Inuit communities have access to equitable funding, along with “other measures to enhance policing.”

“Canada remains dedicated to investing in First Nations policing,” the report also noted, “ensuring that these efforts are responsive to, and reflective of, the unique needs and priorities of the communities they serve.”

What’s recommended in the report echoes what First Nation and Inuit police associations in the country have long been demanding, Zacharie said.

“These are all things that we’ve discussed in the past,” he said. “It feels like we’ve been waiting for decades for something to change.”

Trudeau’s proposed reform of the Indigenous policing model in the country also fell short of recommending those police services be recognized as essential, something First Nation and Inuit police chiefs have also asked for.

Early last year, then public security minister Dominic Leblanc tabled draft legislation recognizing those police services as essential, meaning Canada would have to provide adequate funding to reflect that status. That legislation has yet to come to fruition, however. 

“The government, I wouldn’t say that they stalled, but they had to change tactics, I would say, because a lot of other things seemed to come up that were more of a priority for them,” Zacharie said.

With a new prime minister in office and a looming election, it remains to be seen what will come of that legislation.

“We don’t know how things are going to evolve going forward, especially with Parliament being prorogued,” Zacharie said. 

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