RCMP facing tough questions after Gerald Stanley trial

shot in the head on Stanley’s farm in August 2016. The trial heard that Boushie and a group of friends had been drinking earlier that day and ended up with a flat tire. They tried breaking into a truck on another farm before going onto the Stanley property.

Stanley, who was acquitted of second-degree murder, had told the court that the shooting was accidental.

Boushie’s relatives have previously complained that when police showed up at their home to notify them of his death, officers treated them insensitively and carried out an unlawful search of the home.

An internal RCMP investigation dismissed the allegations after concluding that officers were in a “unique” situation wherein they were tasked with notifying Boushie’s family of his death while also actively searching for a witness who had fled the crime scene.

The family has now asked the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP to review the file. Chris Murphy, a lawyer for the family, said it’s clear to him police could have done a better job of thinking how to approach Boushie’s mother, Debbie Baptiste, in a sympathetic manner.

Without such forethought, he said, “you’re not thinking about (the family’s) feelings. They’re devalued.”

During trial, court heard of other alleged missteps by police. Investigators, for instance, had allowed the vehicle in which Boushie had been shot to sit exposed in a rainstorm with a door ajar, potentially washing away evidence. Court also heard that the same vehicle was allowed to be released to an impound lot before the defence team even had a chance to examine it.

“What is the family supposed to think when these missteps are happening time and time again? … Is any reasonable observer going to suggest to the Baptiste family that they should trust the police?” Murphy said.

“I don’t know if it’s resource issue or a competency issue. It’s one of the two.”

RCMP officials in Saskatchewan and at headquarters declined interview requests from the National Post. In written statements, they said they could not discuss the specific allegations, citing the ongoing review by the RCMP watchdog and the fact the Crown may appeal the not-guilty verdict.

The statements, however, went on to say that RCMP members meet regularly with national Indigenous organizations to discuss ways to prevent crime and reduce victimization of Indigenous people. In Saskatchewan, the commanding officer has an Aboriginal advisory committee and regularly consults with chiefs and councils.

Cadets do classroom exercises covering Indigenous rights and culture. A new interactive exercise exposes cadets to Indigenous history and gives them a sense of the “betrayal, loss, suffering and discrimination” experienced by Indigenous people following European settlement.

All new members are also expected to take an online Aboriginal and First Nations awareness course that covers Indigenous history, geography and contemporary issues, officials said.

The force has also been working with the Assembly of First Nations to develop recruiting strategies. Currently, there are 1,500 Indigenous officers on the force, representing about eight per cent of the officer ranks.

Kim Jonathan, vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatchewan, said this week she is encouraged by these efforts but said more needs to be done. She cited former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson’s acknowledgment in 2015 at an Assembly of First Nations conference that “there are racists in my police force.”

“Is it enough? No, absolutely not,” she said.

Meanwhile, rural Saskatchewan farmers say they, too, have been feeling neglected by police, but for a different reason.

They say trespassing and theft of machinery and tools on their properties has been a recurring problem, but police often are slow to respond to their calls.

It’s gotten to a point where some farmers have started rural crime watch programs and installed surveillance cameras.

“When you go to your local coffee shop and you find out your neighbour was robbed last night, it sticks in your mind, and you have to start thinking about protecting your own properties,” said Rick Kehler, whose family has lived on a farm in Paynton, Sask., for 35 years.

The Kehlers say farmers have become frustrated because police and the courts often go too easy on offenders. They question, for instance, why RCMP never charged Boushie’s friends for attempted theft.

“It doesn’t deter them from trying again,” Kehler said. “It’s an easy get if you’re not going to be brought to justice.”