Trudeau on police brutality against Black and Indigenous people in Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began this morning’s press briefing by commenting on police brutality against the Black and Indigenous people and communities in Canada. The Primi Minister also commented on the adoption of body cameras in Canada.

“Many people in this country simply do not feel protected by the police. In fact, they are afraid of them,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “That alone would be bad enough, but systemic discrimination and racism in Canada goes much further than just policing. It’s about poverty and mental health. It’s about the fact that all too often people are treated like criminals instead of receiving the support that they need. We as governments need to work together. We as leaders need to recognize that these problems are tied to economic inequality and racialization of poverty and we need bold measures to address this.

“With the many disturbing reports of violence against Black Canadians and Indigenous people, we know that we need to do much more and we need to do it now. Commissioner Lucki of the RCMP has assured me that she will use all available tools to take quick, solid action. On our call, one of the things we discussed was the adoption of body cameras in Canada. I’m committing to raising this with the provinces this week so that we can move forward as quickly as possible. Minister Blair has also reconfirmed to me his commitment to Indigenous policing and later today I have a stock-take on reconciliation to discuss our work with Indigenous communities. I am committing to you that this work will continue to accelerate the pace of change because you deserve real commitments as quickly as possible that address the root causes of these problems.”

In the two weeks of anti-racism protests since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minn., there have been increasing calls to defund police forces and reform policing in Canada and the U.S. Trudeau’s comments today come amid news reports in recent days about incidents of alleged police brutality against Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam in Athabasca, Alberta, the violent arrest of a Black man named Samuel (last name withheld by choice) by police in Laval and the fatal shooting of Indigenous woman Chantel Moore during a “wellness check” in Edmunsun, New Brunswick.

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