Toronto Star – A day after the Alberta RCMP deputy commissioner denied there is systemic racism in policing in Canada, new video of the arrest of a high-profile First Nation chief threw fuel on the fire of what is quickly becoming a roaring issue in this country. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations Chief Allan Adam was arrested for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest after being questioned over an expired licence plate. The video indicates an argument taking place but also seems to validate an unacceptable use of force during the arrest here Adams is tacked, punched and placed in a chokehold.

Adam is well known in Alberta as an advocate for environmental protection amidst the oilsands development that surrounds his community. He has raised concerns around the since cancelled Teck resources mining project. “Because we are a minority and nobody speaks up for us, every time our people do wrong and the RCMP go and make their call, they always seem to use excessive force,” he said Saturday. “And that has to stop. And enough is enough.”