Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is for Mr. Bourbonniere.
A newspaper article was recently brought to my attention, and I would like to hear your thoughts on it. The story is quite unbelievable, not to mention unacceptable, and is all the more reason why the committee should be doing this study and looking for solutions.
Allow me to explain. A man around 30 years old was kidnapped, so to speak, in Val-d'Or, Quebec. Here's an excerpt from the article:
What happened to Anichnapéo has a name. They call it a “starlight tour,” when police pick up an Indigenous person for being disruptive, drunk or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once they have them in the patrol car, they drive the person outside city limits and force them to walk back.
This is something that apparently happens all over Canada, as well as in Quebec. I am curious as to whether you have heard people in your organization refer to these so-called starlight tours.
I know there is no magic wand, here, but what should be done to keep this kind of thing from happening and ensure those in positions of power stop discriminating against members of certain communities?