Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
On behalf of Commissioner Mike Duheme, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about the Auditor General's 2024 report on the first nations and Inuit policing program.
Mr. Chairman, I am joined here today by Assistant Commissioner Warren Brown, who oversees our indigenous policing in our community engagement program as a part of our contract for indigenous policing here at national headquarters in Ottawa.
All Canadians have the right to receive culturally responsive and respectful police services. Indigenous communities and reconciliation are one of the RCMP's key strategic priorities, the primary goal of which is to contribute to the health and safety of a prosperous indigenous community.
Under the FNIPP, the RCMP works with external partners, including Public Safety Canada, to coordinate efforts to contribute to the safety of these communities by providing professional, dedicated and responsive services to first nations and Inuit peoples. The RCMP is committed to addressing systemic racism and discrimination while remaining dedicated to strengthening trust with our first nations communities, our Inuit communities and the Métis peoples, as well as within communities and with employees.
The RCMP is focused on making decisions and on developing policies, programs, practices and training that are informed by evidence, that are responsive to community needs and that are culturally appropriate. Changes have been informed and guided through increased engagement with indigenous leaders, consultative groups, elders and youth, as well as in collaboration with government department partners, such as Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Department of Justice and Public Safety Canada.
The FNIPP, for example, enhances community policing services, supports culturally responsive policing within the first nations and Inuit communities that we serve, and recognizes input from indigenous communities on the policing services received. The RCMP are service providers under the FNIPP through the community tripartite agreements contracted to provide policing services to a first nation or Inuit community.
In March of this year, the RCMP welcomed the Office of the Auditor General's report on the FNIPP. We believe that by implementing the Auditor General's recommendations, the RCMP can help improve the delivery of police services under this program. We want to be clear that the RCMP agrees with and supports the recommendations of the OAG report and will commit to working with all stakeholders and all partners to address the issues raised and to contribute to a significantly strong action plan. The action plan will respect the jurisdiction of provinces and territories over operational policing, reconfirming the role of the federal government as the financial contributor, and will respond to audit recommendations to improve the strategic focus and the measurable impact of the program.
Beyond the program, though, the RCMP continues to work with communities to make cultural awareness part of the process for all new RCMP regular members who are joining this program and joining our organization. We are also prioritizing their participation and inclusion in localized cultural events. Building strong relations with indigenous communities is extremely important to the RCMP. In the spirit of reconciliation, we look to continue to establish and enhance trust within the communities we serve.
In addition to the FNIPP, the RCMP has implemented the first nations, Inuit and Métis recruitment strategy, which was launched in 2023. We've advanced efforts to share with regular members information related to various indigenous communities. We are supporting regular members and reporting on their participation in various activities and communities and on reconciliation efforts for information and awareness sharing.
We continue to work with all communities to make cultural awareness a part of the community onboarding process for our police officers. The RCMP will continue to work with communities to enhance their safety and to build and strengthen relationships that are based on mutual respect and trust and that have the interest of the communities at their heart.
Once again, I want to reaffirm that we accept the OAG recommendations and we look forward to working with all of our partners to advance and strengthen the communities we serve. Again, thank you, on behalf of Commissioner Duheme, for inviting us to appear before you today. We look forward to the questions.