Indigenous police in Canada Facts for Kids

Indigenous police services in Canada are special police forces. They are controlled by a First Nation or Inuit government. These police forces work to keep their communities safe.

Not all Indigenous governments can create their own police forces. Only First Nations and Inuit communities that are part of the Indian Act can set up their own police. Other groups, like Métis people or First Nations and Inuit governments that have finished special land agreements, can only hire police services from other police forces.

The powers of these Indigenous police services can also be different. Some might not be able to do big criminal investigations on their own. They might also not have special tools like police dogs or crime labs.

History of Policing in Indigenous Communities
- First Nations Policing Program
List of Indigenous Police Forces
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
See also

History of Policing in Indigenous Communities

For a long time, policing in Indigenous communities in Canada has had problems. There have been issues with unfair treatment and old laws that weren't always fair to Indigenous people.

In the past, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) played a role in how First Nations communities were governed. They sometimes oversaw elections for new councils. The RCMP was also involved in the Canadian Indian residential school system. This system forced Indigenous children to attend schools far from home. It aimed to make them forget their own culture. This system was later called cultural genocide. RCMP officers sometimes brought children to these schools, even by force.

There have also been serious incidents. In 1995, during the Ipperwash Crisis, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shot and killed an unarmed Indigenous activist named Dudley George. Also, in the 1990s, there were concerns about how Indigenous people were treated by police in Saskatoon.

A positive change happened in 1979. After a difficult event, the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation created the Kahnawake Peacekeepers. This is the only Indigenous police service in North America made up entirely of Indigenous staff.

First Nations Policing Program

Starting in the 1960s, the Canadian government began to change how policing worked on reserves. They started to let provinces take more control. At the same time, some First Nations began to create their own police services. They also hired "band constables" to help police.

Because policing was different in many communities, the government created the First Nations Policing Program in 1992. This program was meant to help First Nations and Inuit communities create their own police forces. These forces would meet the same standards as other police services in the provinces. Communities could also have RCMP officers who were Indigenous.

However, this program has faced criticism. Indigenous groups and police chiefs have said it doesn't get enough money. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal also found that the government discriminated by not giving enough money to some First Nations police forces.

In 1993, the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association (FNCPA) was formed. This group helps different police forces work together on Indigenous policing issues.

In 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to review the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. This review began in 2022. Later that year, a committee in British Columbia suggested that the program should be replaced. They said a new system should be created that better supports Indigenous police services. They even suggested that Indigenous police services could help nearby towns too.