NDP MP urges policy changes in emergency debate on First Nations deaths by police

A New Democrat MP urged the House of Commons to put politics aside and find immediate policy solutions on Monday night, as legislators held an emergency debate following six incidents in just two weeks where First Nations people were killed by police.

The first day of the fall parliamentary session saw MPs sit until midnight in Ottawa, where they described the deaths as a tragic reminder of Canada's history of colonialism and systemic racism. 

For Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, who requested the debate, the question was not just whether these problems exist, but what lawmakers intend to do about them. In a letter to the Speaker, Idlout stressed the need to discuss "immediate measures that can be taken to save Indigenous lives, today."

She was the first to take the floor when the discussion began, telling MPs that colonialism and genocidal policies in Canada are not a part of history because they are still happening now.

"Those genocidal policies and the colonial attitudes we see are systemic. We see them throughout Canada," Idlout said.

"We see them in the education system, the health system and of course the criminal system. They resulted in the call for this emergency debate."

She shared her time with Charlie Angus, the New Democrat MP for Timmins-James Bay in northern Ontario. Angus was emotional as he discussed instances of violence and death in his riding.

He then described his own re-education and realization the RCMP were not "like bureaucrats" who "kept us all safe," as he was taught, but rather "the shock troops to enforce the taking of Indigenous lands."

"There is a term, and I do not know what it is because I don't speak Oji-Cree, but the woman told me what the name for police was: 'the ones who take our children,'" Angus said.

"They do not call the police, because there is not that trust. That is the shame of the colonial Canada that still results in six of our young people dying."

The six deaths happened between Aug. 29 and Sept. 8 and involved both RCMP and municipal police officers across five provinces. Police watchdogs are investigating all of the incidents.

Liberals criticized for lack of progress

The deaths recall a string of violent arrests and police killings of Indigenous people that prompted national outrage in 2020.

In response to those events, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised a suite of reforms, including legislation to improve the funding and reliability of First Nations police services. The governing party was slammed Monday for the lack of results.

"To my knowledge, no legislation has been brought forward, despite the former minister of public safety's stating on the record that he was working around the clock. That was in 2022," said Raquel Dancho, Conservative MP for Kildonan-St. Paul in Winnipeg, in response to Idlout's speech.

"Clearly there has been a failure to deliver on these promises."

Jamie Schmale, the Conservative critic for both Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations, cited the federal auditor general's finding earlier this year that the government is mismanaging the First Nations and Inuit policing program.

Schmale denounced the "chronic underfunding of Indigenous police services" and said "Indigenous policing initiatives should prioritize restorative justice approaches, with an emphasis on healing, rehabilitation and community cohesion over punitive measures."

The Conservatives have taken a staunch tough-on-crime stance, repeating the mantra of "jail not bail" and attacking the Liberals, prompting a surprised Idlout to say she was "confused" by Schmale's comment. He replied that, as critic, his job is to develop policy that would be put into the next election platform.

Meanwhile, on the defensive, the Liberals stressed past actions, ongoing initiatives, commitments and proposed reforms.

Liberal MP Jennifer O'Connell, parliamentary secretary to the public safety minister, said the government remains committed to working collaboratively with First Nations, citing the hundreds of millions of dollars the Liberals invested in Indigenous policing since 2021.

She also touted proposed legislation to establish a new public complaints body for the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency as an important and urgent bill.

"Bill C-20 would include transformative provisions that would have the ability to improve the way our law enforcement agencies work, especially with Indigenous and other vulnerable communities," she said.

What now?

Liberal MP Pam Damoff, previously parliamentary secretary for Public Safety and Indigenous Services, echoed the comments but acknowledged the need to do more.

"Systemic changes must take place in how police interact with Indigenous people. Too many lives are at stake," she said.

Idlout's letter to the Speaker said a lack of media coverage of the tragedies "shows that systemic violence and deaths of Indigenous Peoples in Canada is normal and expected."

Leah Gazan, New Democrat MP for Winnipeg Centre, said politicians often neglect this topic, while the media normalizes systemic violence against Indigenous people.

"However, recently the extent of police violence against Indigenous people has grown to such a shocking level that it cannot be ignored by our leaders," she told the House.