Squamish elder calls for representation on police board

An elder from the Squamish Nation is calling on the B.C. government and the City of Vancouver to appoint First Nations representatives to fill vacancies on the Vancouver Police Board (VPB). 

Three seats on the board are currently vacant, including that of former board member and vice-chair Faye Wightman, who resigned on Jan. 30 citing alleged conflicts of interest and political interference.

Squamish Nation elected spokesperson and Elder Syexwaliya Ann Whonnock said the remaining three spots should be filled with representatives from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

"We'd like to have a voice at the table to protect our people that live in the Vancouver area," she said.

Whonnock said both the province and the city must honour their reconciliation commitments, referencing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The declaration lays out strategies to end anti-Indigenous racism and recognizes the right of Indigenous people to self-government — including the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, whose unceded land Vancouver is built upon.

Expanding VPB membership to include a representative from each of the nations is one of the strategies outlined.

Squamish Nation elected Coun. Wilson William currently sits as a member of the West Vancouver Police Board, but so far, Whonnock said, representation has been lacking in Vancouver.

"We haven't had [a member on the board] for many, many years," she said. "But now it's time to walk your talk."

Indigenous, Black people have more police interactions in B.C.: report

Whonnock said work remains to be done to improve the relationship between Indigenous people and police.

"The Vancouver Police Department is doing more checks stops on Indigenous people," she said, citing the case of a Heiltsuk Nation grandfather and granddaughter who were handcuffed while trying to open a bank account in downtown Vancouver in 2020. 

Data has shown Indigenous and Black people have more interactions with police in B.C. than other groups of people.

Reports filed by B.C.'s municipal police departments between 2016 to 2021 show Black and Indigenous people had disproportionately high numbers of police calls made against them, in addition to having more charges recommended against them.

"We need to be able to bring a cultural lens to how [the police] look at working with our nation and our people," said Whonnock.

"We've been made invisible in this city and need to have protection for our people and be able to ensure that they won't be treated in a disrespectful way by the police."

The VPB oversees the police department's budget and broader policy direction. It also serves as the authority that responds to police complaints. Its composition and mandate are dictated by the B.C. Police Act.

Police boards are primarily composed of community members who have been appointed by the province, with the city's mayor serving as the official chair of the body.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said in an email to CBC that they are working with the Musqueam Indian Band to appoint a representative to the board in accordance with the police service agreement between the First Nation and the Vancouver Police Department.

However, the ministry did not say whether it has been involved in similar discussions with Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. 

In an emailed statement to CBC/Radio-Canada, Tsleil-Waututh Councillor Charlene Aleck said the First Nation currently participates as part of the Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Vancouver Police Department.

"We do want a seat on the Vancouver Police Board to represent our community. We are open to having these conversations with VPD and VPB to move forward in a good way for the people of Vancouver, and the səlilwətaɬ [Tsleil-Waututh Nation]," she wrote in the statement. 

CBC News also reached out to the Musqueam Nation, but they weren't available to comment before deadline. 

A representative from Mayor Ken Sim's office told CBC News in an emailed statement that Vancouver City Council is working with the province to ensure First Nation representation on the VPB and an appointment is expected within the month.