Day 6

Should cops investigate other cops?

Quebec provincial officers are facing allegations of abuse from Indigenous women in Val d'Or, and an independent observer will oversee the Montreal police's investigation into them. But should police be trusted to hold other police accountable? Former Saskatoon police officer Ernie Louttit and activist Pam Palmater debate that question.
Bony Jean-Pierre, 46, died after being shot by a police officer's rubber bullet during a drug raid earlier this month in Montreal North. (Charles Contant/CBC)

A group of Indigenous women in Val d'Or, Quebec have filed formal complaints against the province's police officers, alleging physical and sexual abuse. This week, Quebec announced that an independent observer will oversee the Montreal police's investigation into those allegations. But critics say police shouldn't be trusted to hold other police officers accountable. We hear two perspectives on that idea.  Former Saskatoon police officer Ernie Louttit was the third First Nations person to serve in that city, and lawyer Pam Palmater is a Mi'kmaw activist and the Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University.