Evidence of meeting #8 for Public Safety and National Security in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was inuit.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
If you can speak to both, I think it will be helpful.
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Services Board of Nunavut
Our experience with the CRCC is that.... I've no doubt that it is a well-meaning organization, but it has a limited mandate and it has a critical funding problem. I'd also say that, as far as I am aware, there are no indigenous or northern commissioners on the commission. I would suggest that is an immediate and quick fix that could be made.
Ultimately, it's an organization with a very limited mandate. I feel somewhat uncomfortable picking on it because it can only do what it can do.
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
Mr. Cowan, because I have limited time, is there a model that you think can work for the RCMP? Is there a model that you would think can be modified to help the RCMP with this?
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Services Board of Nunavut
I think if you look at just about every province—and indeed on the CRCC's website they show the different oversight models for different provinces—you need a combination of civilian investigation of criminal matters and complaint-based independent investigation of conduct matters.
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
How about systemic issues? I know that individual complaints will lead to individual results. How do we address systemic issues?
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Services Board of Nunavut
With systemic issues, what you want is a mandate to do systemic reviews on the part of usually the same organization that does the conduct investigations. Again, I would also look at the use of a civilian board providing direct oversight over the RCMP to hold them accountable on their policy and strategy decisions.
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Wright, can you weigh in on this as well, please?
Social Worker and Sociologist, As an Individual
I would say that such groups often will have equity and diversity kinds of profiles or subcommittees. I find those kinds of generic equity committees to be very unsatisfactory. Perhaps what is necessary is very culturally or community-specific committees to help inform those bodies.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Anandasangaree.
Madame Michaud, you have a minute and a half, please.
Bloc
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Wright, given your experience in social work on the ground, can you explain to us the effects of systemic racism in policing on racialized people, on indigenous people, and particularly on youth?
Social Worker and Sociologist, As an Individual
I think we are seeing the impact, the overrepresentation of racialized people having contact with the police. I think it was Mr. Cowan who just said the litany: We're overpoliced, overcharged, overprosecuted, disproportionately found guilty, have higher sentences, have differential and negative experiences while under correctional supervision, serve our sentences longer, and have a harder time transitioning into the community and receiving education and employment thereafter.
I think that's the effect systemic racism tends to have on racialized people in Canada as it comes to policing and contact with the criminal justice system.
Liberal
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Thank you, Chair.
I have a question for Mr. Cowan related to the CRCC. I understand your organization has put before the CRCC two letters of complaint in recent times related to the conduct of RCMP in handling prisoners, particularly women prisoners. Could you outline those complaints to the committee and reflect on whether or not this has any bearing on our study of systemic racism as it relates to policing in Nunavut?
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Services Board of Nunavut
I don't think we have the time for me to recount it in any detail, but I will make sure that the committee has a copy of my two letters that outline various issues with respect to it.
With respect to the issue of the strip-searching that took place in December, there were a handful of cases that I raised with the commission. I also raised them directly with the senior officer of the RCMP in Iqaluit to try in good faith to say, “This is happening. What is your organization going to do about it?”
I was very disappointed in her approach, which was to say until we have individual complainants come forward we can't do anything. It's not true and it shows, I think, the fundamental lack of engagement and commitment to change and accountability on the part of the senior management.
I will send the correspondence I provided so that the committee has the benefit of that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Harris.
Unfortunately, that brings this panel to a close. On behalf of the committee, I'll say these are very thoughtful comments on all your parts and will be very informative to our study going forward.
Colleagues, at this point we adjourn. You will have to sign in again. You'll be sent a new password. At this point, I am still anticipating that we reconvene at two o'clock. I want to apologize to the staff who will be running around here and elsewhere doing what the protocols require. We have run about a half-hour over our allotted time.
With that, the meeting is adjourned.