Indigenous police officers added in Val-d'Or in wake of abuse allegations

Quebec provincial police reacting to allegations of abuse in Val-d'Or are establishing a new station in the northern community that will include both Indigenous and non-Indigenous officers.

The new station will be devoted to "community policing" and will be staffed by a combination of police officers and representatives from the area.

Martin Prud'homme, the Sûreté du Québec's director general, said the arrangement was a first for the police force. The aim appears to be to take a softer approach to some of the issues facing the city of 32,000.

"What is community policing? It's taking care of our people," he told reporters in Val-d'Or.

"We have people here who need help, people who have problems with homelessness, alcohol problems, drug problems."

• Indigenous leaders unhappy with Quebec government's reaction to Val-d'Or allegations

The one-year pilot project is set to begin in early 2017, with the goal of improving strained relations between police and First Nations members of the community.

Prud'homme said the model may be replicated elsewhere if it proves successful.

Allegations of systemic racism

The announcement comes amid allegations of systemic racism within Quebec's justice system and repeated calls for an inquiry into police relations with Indigenous Quebecers.

Six officers were suspended with pay last year after several Indigenous women told Radio-Canada they had been abused by members of the Sûreté du Québec.

Crown prosecutors announced last week they will not charge any of the suspended officers. The job status of the officers isn't immediately known.

Two of the officers who were suspended — Simon Drouin and Émilie Langlois — on Tuesday denied any wrongdoing when they were interviewed by the French-language television network TVA.

Underlying problems

Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, questioned whether a new station with Indigenous officers would address the underlying problems in Val-d'Or.

"The first question that comes to mind is: how will the two stations relate to one another? It is a very important question," Picard said on Daybreak.

He added there's already a shortage of Indigenous police officers on First Nations reserves, so it will be difficult to fill the positions.

An analysis by CBC News earlier this year found that visible minorities make up less than one per cent of the SQ.

"If there's no extra funding coming from somewhere, then definitely the proposal is going to fall short," he said.

Provincial inquiry needed, chief says

Picard repeated his call for a provincial inquiry, saying he was hopeful Premier Philippe Couillard would take action.

Couillard signalled on Tuesday he was open to the possibility of an inquiry.

• Quebec premier won't rule out inquiry into police relations with Indigenous people

Indigenous leaders have argued the broad scope the national inquiry would mean the problems in Quebec wouldn't get the attention they deserve.

"There is a situation here that demands some political will, because obviously it's a situation that can worsen if we don't make a decision to bring it out in the open," Picard said.

Michèle Audette, former head of the Native Women's Association of Canada and one of five commissioners overseeing the federal inquiry, wouldn't comment directly on whether Quebec would benefit from a provincial inquiry.

"If a province or territory wants to go further into one issue, we can't stop them," she told Radio-Canada, adding that there could be collaboration between the two inquiries.

• ANALYSIS |​ Val-d'Or is forcing Quebec to think about big problems