Inuit RCMP constable to be honoured

The family of RCMP Special Const. Andrew Ooyoumut, who died 56 years ago in Canada's North, has won a partial victory in their bid to have him recognized alongside other RCMP officers who have died in the line of duty.

Ooyoumut was hired in 1946 as an Inuit special constable in Baker Lake, in what was then the Northwest Territories but is now Nunavut. He drowned while on duty eight years later in 1954, after falling into a nearby river while catching fish to help feed RCMP dogs.

Years after Ooyoumut's death, his granddaughter, Deborah Webster of Yellowknife, has been fighting to have the RCMP nationally recognize him as they would with other fallen Mounties.

Following 15 years of persistence, Webster has learned that Ooyoumut's name will be added to the RCMP Cenotaph, Honour Roll and Memorial Wall plaque.

"When Chief Supt. Steve McVarnock called me, I said, 'finally,'" Webster told CBC News, referring to the RCMP's commanding officer in Nunavut.

"It's been 56 years since Ooyoumut died, and it's been a number of years since our family has been wanting this honour."

Ooyoumut had been hired as a hunter, translator and guide for regular RCMP members in Baker Lake, according to the police force.

Not eligible for pension

While Webster said she has been mainly seeking national recognition for her grandfather, she said she has also been fighting to secure an RCMP pension for Ooyoumut, as his wife and family suffered hardship when he died.

But McVarnock said based on archival research that was done at the RCMP's national headquarters, Ooyoumut was not eligible to receive a pension.

"Special Const. Ooyoumut was not a designated special constable for pension … nor did he file an election form to be considered for a pension," McVarnock said.

The RCMP's records indicate about 150 special constables like Ooyoumut did not receive pensions because they were not formally designated as special constables, McVarnock added.

Webster said she will continue fighting to get Ooyoumut's descendents a pension from his time working as a special constable.

Ooyoumut's contribution to the RCMP will be recognized nationally at the police force's national memorial celebration in Regina next year.