Thank you very much, Chair.
Good afternoon, everybody.
I come to you from the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq here in Nova Scotia.
First of all, I have to say that I completely agree with the witnesses who have been saying that we need indigenous self-government. The time has come; in fact, it has long since passed, but we need to do the right thing and get on that course.
As far as I'm concerned, we do speak nation to nation. I think that is a very important thing for all Canadians to learn to recognize, and [Technical difficulty—Editor] to that.
Also in that respect, I have to say that a great deal of systemic racism has existed in policing and in justice. I believe that because of that, there is, unfortunately, a distrust of law enforcement and an over-incarceration of indigenous people. I believe that is due directly to systemic racism and the impoverishment and abuse of first nations people, generation after generation after generation.
How do first nation policing services foster trust within their own community? Is there any best practice that can be followed in this regard, and how can we help make that happen?
Thank you.