RCMP C-IRG unit announces new name, mandate amid federal investigation
Dogged for years by com‐ plaints, lawsuits, alleged civil and Indigenous rights violations and now an on‐ going federal investigation, the RCMP's Community-In‐ dustry Response Group (CIRG) officially has a new name and mandate.
The outfit, originally tasked with policing protests against resource extraction in British Columbia, became the Critical Response Unit (CRUBC) on Jan. 1, 2024.
The rebrand aims "to bet‐ ter reflect the scope of work and service that its members are called to," according to an April 2 update to the unit's webpage.
"Now named CRU-BC, its members will continue to as‐ sist in civil and public order events for natural or humancaused disasters, conduct proactive engagement and, if required, enforcement duties specific to the critical inci‐ dent."
The unit was founded in 2017 to address what RCMP call "energy industry (gas and oil pipeline) incidents," but the update says over time, "as members of the C-IRG gained experience in ad‐ dressing these large public order events," they were called to other demonstra‐ tions in other areas, leading to the expansion.
Between 2019 and 2021, the unit grabbed national at‐ tention for its heavily armed raids on Wet'suwet'en-led blockades as well as its Fairy
Creek operation on Vancou‐ ver Island in 2021.
The RCMP's external fed‐ eral review agency accepted more than 100 formal com‐ plaints for investigation against C-IRG, linked mainly to Fairy Creek, and in March 2023 opened a systemic in‐ vestigation into its opera‐ tions.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has called for its dis‐ bandment on multiple occa‐ sions.
Na'Moks (John Ridsdale), a hereditary chief of the Wet'‐ suwet'en Nation, considers the change a public relations move and a way to sidestep the probe.
"Companies do it all the time. They change their names or become numbered companies. It's the same pro‐ cess," he said.
"It's a stalling tactic. It's that simple. It doesn't mean that their goals will change at all."
The Mounties established C-IRG following 2016's Native American-led anti-pipeline protests in Standing Rock, North Dakota. Canadian police were concerned about similar resistance targeting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in B.C., internal documents show.
C-IRG was intended to be a temporary project team but quickly expanded and even‐ tually spent nearly $50 mil‐ lion in five years on its opera‐ tions.
Recorded mocking ac‐ tivists
In January, a senior Mountie apologized in court after recordings from 2021 in which police called detained First Nations activists "orcs" and "ogres," while laughing about laying a beating on one of them.
That case is seeking a stay of charges or reduced sen‐ tences for three activists con‐ victed of criminal contempt of court on the grounds that police misconduct amounted to an abuse of process.
Pointing to these and oth‐ er instances of alleged mis‐ conduct, Na'Moks argues the unit should have less power, not more.
"All the complaints on their conduct, that should have been enough for them to review it and actually sus‐ pend it," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ottawabased Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CR‐ CC) initially struggled with de‐ lays in receiving relevant in‐ formation from the RCMP.
Now more than a year in‐ to its systemic investigation, the agency says co-operation has improved.
"The CRCC now meets regularly with the RCMP to discuss our requests for in‐ formation," said Kate McDer‐ by, director of communica‐ tions and stakeholder en‐ gagement, in an email.
"While delays remain, there has been significant im‐ provement in response time through more frequent com‐ munication."
The commission still can't provide an anticipated report date, however, McDerby said.