Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report Recommendations
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: RCMP-GRC
Proposed Response:
- The RCMP continues to work with federal departments under the direction of Crown-Indigenous Relations to review and assess the Calls for Justice individually to determine the next steps needed to prevent violence against Indigenous women and girls and Two-Spirit-LGBTQQIA+ people.
- The RCMP will continue to work with its federal partners, provinces and territories, and Indigenous communities and organizations to formulate its response to this important report.
- The RCMP remains committed to improving the relationship with Indigenous communities, supporting survivors and families, and ensuring that investigations are robust and professional and result in justice for the victims and their families.
Financial Implications:
The RCMP is not seeking funding in Budget 2020 for MMIWG related activities.
Background:
The National Inquiry into MMIWG was launched in 2016 to examine and report on systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls. It was further directed to make recommendations on concrete actions to remove systemic causes of violence and improve the safety of Indigenous women and girls, as well as propose ways to honour those who have died or gone missing.
The RCMP produced 119 investigative files, and 226 policy and other documents. The RCMP provided 21 active files where there was not a risk to the integrity of the investigation or future prosecution. The RCMP has asserted public interest privilege under section 37 of the Canada Evidence Act (CEA) to withhold two ongoing investigations under section 37 of the CEAand the National Inquiry challenged the privilege claim in Federal Court. The Federal Court decision was released after the final report’s dissemination, found to be in favour of the RCMP.
The final report, Reclaiming Power and Peace, was released on June 3, 2019. It contains 231 Calls for Justice (CJs), with additional sub-recommendations, totaling 290 individual recommendations. The RCMP is implicated in approximately 90 of the CJs. The final report is highly critical of law enforcement generally, and the RCMP in particular. Key to the criticisms are allegations of various forms of discrimination and indifference, poor family and community communications and a lack of action on major cases involving Indigenous victims, including human trafficking. The CJs vary; some are broad and without specification, whereas others are clear and potentially actionable. Some police-related CJs require consultation with provincial/territorial policing partners.
The RCMP has reviewed the final report in its entirety and has been engaging in consultation within the RCMP and other government departments, as well as Indigenous groups and advisory councils.
The lead department on the National Inquiry is Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada (CIRC), under the direction of Minister Bennett.
Indigenous Cadets
A targeted approach to recruiting, advertising and marketing is being used to assist in positioning the RCMP as the employer of choice, specifically to those who may not have considered a career in policing. RCMP recruiters develop partnerships and work with a variety of cultural and community groups across Canada to raise awareness of a career in policing. Further, dedicated recruiting analysts who are familiar with challenges faced by Indigenous applicants assist these applicants with steps in the recruiting process. Finally, applicants who self-identify as Indigenous are fast-tracked through the recruiting process.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Insp. Kurtis Kamotzki, RCMP, 613-843-3389
Approved by: Brian Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing, RCMP – 613-843-4632
- Date modified: