(xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Vancouver) – Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations is calling for real results and action from an independent investigation into the conduct of the RCMP in Prince George. The investigation team also needs to include representation from BC First Nations communities.
“First Nations people in Prince George have been the target of violence, racism and discrimination by the RCMP for decades,” said Regional Chief Teegee. “In this specific case, the RCMP’s own members brought evidence of continued and egregious discrimination and violence, but that evidence was ignored, and covered up. These actions are unacceptable from Canada’s national police force, and the individual officers responsible must be held accountable. To do so, we need a member of a BC First Nation to be part of this investigation,” he continued.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been contracted by the Province of BC to investigate allegations that members of the Prince George RCMP sexually harassed and abused Indigenous women from 1992 to 2004. The RCMP is also conducting its own internal investigation.
The allegations were brought to the RCMP by their own members in 2011, but the force refused to address them. In 2021 the RCMP’s Civilian Review and Complaints Commission published a report that the RCMP leadership had ignored these allegations. However, this report was kept secret until recently.
“The Province of BC and the RCMP have known about these allegations for years, but have done nothing,” continued Regional Chief Teegee. “If the Province is going to be serious about its commitments to reconciliation, it needs to ensure that these RCMP officers face real justice. I am cautiously optimistic that, after so long, we will finally see justice in this case of gross misconduct,” he concluded.