Globe and Mail: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a national representative Inuit organization have agreed on a plan to improve the relationship between the police force and Inuit communities.

The Mounties and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a non-profit organization in Canada that represents more than 65,000 Inuit across Inuit Nunangat and the rest of Canada, see the plan as a starting point for a collaborative relationship and to help build trust.

Many of the priorities come from recommendations made by the National Inuit Action Plan on missing and murdered Inuit women, girls and gender-diverse people following the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In recent years, the RCMP have faced increased scrutiny over the conduct of officers toward Indigenous people. In 2020, the RCMP faced criticism after a video captured an officer striking an Inuk man with his truck in the small community of Kinngait.

The RCMP have agreed to work with ITK on specific measures, such as:

• data sharing on deaths by suicide, suicide attempts and suicidal ideation, and
• mandatory cultural training for officers working in Inuit Nunangat.

Inuit Nunangat means “the place where Inuit live” and is comprised of four regions: Inuvialuit, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Nunavut. The RCMP provide policing services to more than 70 per cent of communities across Inuit Nunangat.

“Inuit have long faced discrimination, neglect and violence within the criminal justice system,” ITK president Natan Obed said in a joint statement with the RCMP. “Our communities’ interactions with police have been strained. With this new workplan in place, we hope to build a new relationship based on respect and mutual trust.”

In their agreement, the RCMP also intend to focus on increased Inuit representation and improve access for Inuktitut speakers. As well, there is an intention for the force and ITK to collaborate on input for the federal Indigenous justice strategy.