RCMP video of chief’s arrest shocks Trudeau
TRUDEAU SAYS CANADIANS DESERVE ANSWERS AFTER FOOTAGE SHOWS OFFICER CHARGING, STRIKING MAN
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has “serious questions” after the release of a video showing two RCMP officers tackling Indigenous Chief Allan Adam to the ground and striking him repeatedly.
“Far too many Black Canadians and Indigenous people do not feel safe around the police. It’s unacceptable and as government’s we have to change that," said Trudeau.
“I think everyone who has seen this video has serious questions about what exactly happened, about how it happened this way and about the use of force that we saw."
On Thursday, Adam’s lawyer released the video from the dash cam of an RCMP’S cruiser as part of a court application to get criminal charges against the chief stayed.
According to police, the incident began because Adam’s licence plates had expired.
During the 12-minute video, Adam is clearly agitated at times, yelling at an officer and at one point removing his jacket. He also complains that police are harassing him, although he does not appear violent.
But the video goes on to show an RCMP officer charging at Adam, knocking him to the ground and then repeatedly punching him.
The incident happened in early March outside a casino, before coronavirus required lockdowns. Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, near Fort Mcmurray, Alta., was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer after the incident.
Trudeau called the video shocking and said Canadians deserve answers.
“The independent investigation must be transparent and be carried out so that we get answers,” he said.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, a police watchdog in the province, is now investigating, but RCMP supervisors who initially viewed the dash cam footage said they did not see an issue with the use of force.
Trudeau said the incident is part of a larger problem and said systemic racism is present within the RCMP and other police forces across the country.
Trudeau spoke with provincial premiers Thursday evening and said he raised some of the issues with them and there was broad agreement on the need to address the issue, including the adoption of body cameras for police.
“Reforms are needed at all levels of policing. And these reforms need to happen quickly. In the days and weeks to come, our government will continue to move as fast as we can, with all of our partners.”
He also said rank and file police officers are essential to addressing the systemic problems.
“Women and men who serve in our police forces must be part of the solution. There are people who’ve stepped up to serve their community, and they will be invaluable allies as we move forward to make sure that all Canadians are well served by these institutions.”
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who oversees the RCMP, called the video deeply disturbing and said the investigation was essential.
“Our policing services must be equally committed to ensuring that they are always worthy of the trust we put in them. Maintaining that trust requires rigorous accountability.”
Earlier this week, in interviews with several media outlets, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said there was definitely unconscious bias in the force, but said she was struggling with whether systemic racism was a problem for the Mounties.
In a statement released late Friday, Lucki said she had made a mistake.
“I did acknowledge that we, like others, have racism in our organization, but I did not say definitively that systemic racism exists in the RCMP. I should have,” she said. “Systemic racism is part of every institution, the RCMP included. Throughout our history and today, we have not always treated racialized and Indigenous people fairly.”
She said solving that problem won’t be simple, but the RCMP is committed to change.
“It is the ongoing commitment to work and continue to learn that will help us make real progress and I am motivated and determined to make change.”
Trudeau said Lucki, who his government appointed to the role, has done good work and he continued to have faith in her.
“There are some deep changes we need to make in our institutions. And we need to work with people who want to make those changes who want to be part of the solution. And I know Commissioner Lucki is one of those.”
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said he also found the video disturbing.
“I found it very troubling, very worrying. I think the events of the last few weeks have ignited a very important conversation about the use of force.”
Scheer did not say whether he thought there was a systemic issue in the RCMP, but said if Trudeau believes there is a problem he should address it.
“He is indicating there are issues with the RCMP, precisely what is he going to do about it?” he said. “We see these empty words with little action to back it up.”
NDP MP Jack Harris said it was essential that RCMP management admit there is a problem in their ranks as the first step toward addressing it.
“We have a long way to go and it’s going to take significant effort from people who are willing to acknowledge the problems and work to address them for us to get to a solution.”