Indigenous police unit just a starting point for Ottawa, community members say

Some members of Indigenous communities in Ottawa have mixed feelings as the city's police force plans to create an Indigenous unit, urging caution that more work is needed to build acceptance and understanding.

On Monday, the Ottawa Police Service released its response to various recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the investigation into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

Chief Eric Stubbs announced the service's plans to create an Indigenous unit that operates full-time on meeting recommendations from the inquiries.

Manitok Thompson, an Inuk broadcaster and former member of Nunavut's legislature who now lives in Carleton Place, Ont., just southwest of Ottawa, welcomed the plan for a new unit focused on Indigenous people.

But she wants to know how it will be shaped. The community's relationship with police is strained because Indigenous residents are "terrified that we will be misjudged, mistreated," she said.

There are currently zero Inuk police officers in the force, which is a disappointing gap, said Thompson. That diversity is necessary to help build relationships with the large Inuit community in Ottawa.

"Sometimes it just boils down to, just because you're an Indigenous person, you're being treated that way unfairly," she said.

Ottawa police declined to comment further on the unit's plan since it's still in early planning stages. In a statement to CBC, police said that "first and foremost," consultation will be a key part of the unit's creation.

"I would have loved to create that unit in the spring, but our staffing situation just doesn't allow us to take any more people from the front lines," Stubbs said at Monday's meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Board.

According to the force, six per cent of its members self-identify as Indigenous, yet  "a very limited number of officers speak Indigenous languages."

Deputy chief Steve Bell also admitted Monday the force is currently failing in recruiting Inuk officers.

Indigenous cultural awareness course

Ottawa police said it has tried to improve Indigenous cultural awareness.

For nearly two years, all civilian and police members have been required to take an online course called "The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada."

The course's lead developer, Jennifer David, said it is just a first step toward humanizing Indigenous Peoples, and connecting the past and present.

She said if officers have that understanding, "it puts them in a better position to be able to respond in a culturally appropriate way."

David did caution that the new Indigenous unit needs officers who are actually Indigenous. She mentioned several high-profile reports of non-Indigenous people who have self-identified as Indigenous, without any checks and balances, stripping opportunities from Indigenous people.

CBC has reported on those cases, including several at post-secondary institutions.

Members of the unit will also need to be protected from racism and discrimination from within the force, and they can't be expected to "know everything and be everything Indigenous."

Racism in the force

In 1992, the Toronto Police Service created an Aboriginal Peacekeeping Unit, becoming the first major city to have a unit specifically dedicated to tackling issues faced by Indigenous people in the community.

Since then, Hamilton and Guelph, Ont., have each also implemented an Indigenous liaison officer.

Plans for the Ottawa police Indigenous unit come as the force has struggled with accusations of racism, including when an officer posted disturbing comments online after the 2016 death of celebrated Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook.

Bell told the board Monday that the force is trying to recruit more people who are Black and Indigenous, while ensuring these recruits can "move through the organization" to higher positions.

He said Ottawa police has done well at recruiting Indigenous members, "but I think it only tells part of the story," he said.

"While I can say we are focusing on it and have had successes, we absolutely have more work to do."