The legacy of the colonization of Inuit has left many feeling devalued and voiceless to the point where some turn to violence, but government leaders need to look at an individual’s life and experiences, says the elected leader of Nunavut Inuit.
To address the systemic racism against Indigenous people shown by police forces such as the RCMP, Canadian leaders need to look at how different government agencies contribute to that racism, say some Indigenous leaders.
Those leaders spoke to CBC News in response to more than 30 cases of alleged mistreatment of Inuit women by the RCMP. The cases were compiled by the Legal Services Board of Nunavut, which alleges widespread racism and abuse of Inuit, especially women, across the territory.
The board has called on the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) for a territory-wide review of policing.
Aluki Kotierk, the elected leader of Nunavut Inuit, is one of the people calling for a review. This issue hits close to home, she said. The recent death of a man in Clyde River during an encounter with an officer who discharged their firearm reminded Kotierk of her late uncle, Solomon Uyarasuk, who died in police custody in 2012.
Kotierk said the coroner’s inquest into her uncle’s death left her with doubts and anger, in part because the Ottawa police investigated the death on behalf of the RCMP. Such investigations of police investigating police lack independence and therefore credibility, she said.
“It probably will always exist in my life, in terms of my own distrust of the system. But I also know that I’m not alone in those feelings of anger and distrust,” Kotierk said.
Building people up rather than criminalizing them
Kotierk said an examination of the bigger picture beyond the RCMP is needed to understand the high rates of violence and officer-involved deaths in the territory.
“There needs to be a more holistic discussion about all of the different ways in which public agencies are able to work together to build up Inuit so that we can actually achieve what we set out to achieve in the creation of Nunavut.”
The legacy of colonization of the Inuit has left many feeling devalued, voiceless and overwhelmed to the point where some turn to violence, Kotierk said.
To address that violence, leaders and government agencies need to look at an individual’s life and experiences before the violence itself, she said.
“That [way], we’re building people up again, rather than criminalizing people. It starts feeling as though by being born an Inuk, your life is worth less than others.”
‘Entire system works against Native people’
The over-criminalization of Indigenous people in Canada has been a direct result of racism f