‘Historic marginalization’ of indigenous people must be addressed: Police Chief Devon Clunis
Winnipeg’s police board can and should do more to help the plight of the city’s aboriginal population, especially young women and girls, Chief Devon Clunis said on Friday.
The issue of missing and murdered indigenous women was discussed at length during Friday’s police board meeting, with citizen David Sanders, who is also running for mayor, kicking off the discussion.
“Our community should mourn the loss of every life and spare no effort to prevent violence and exploitation and the murder of any human being,” Sanders told the board.
“But when we find a continuing pattern of criminal behaviour involving the frequent victimization of a particular vulnerable group, such as our aboriginal women, we must name such atrocities and we must all work to stop them from happening again and again.”
Clunis said the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women goes far beyond policing, but there are initiatives that both the board and the police force could take.
“I think if any city should take the lead, it should be the City of Winnipeg,” said Clunis, adding that under his tenure, the force has worked hard at establishing partnerships with community groups.
“When you look at the urban population of First Nations and Metis in the city of Winnipeg, that’s what I meant by that, significant population, so if any city should feel really close to this issue, it should be the city of Winnipeg.”
While Sanders expressed support for a national inquiry, Clunis said this was a political matter outside of the scope of his focus of the day-to-day policing.
On the murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose body was found in the Red River in August, Clunis said this “should not happen anywhere.”
“My reaction probably was the same as any other caring individual, you mourn for that, you do not like to see that happening … as an individual, I felt that, absolutely,” he said, adding that there has been a “long historic marginalization” of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in Canada.
“We have to first recognize that, accept it and then let’s go forward and deal with it.”
Coun. Scott Fielding, who chairs the police board, said the strategic plan is for five years and believes it will include aspects that will address the root causes that can result in the exploitation of society’s more vulnerable.
Fielding said that he supports the call for a roundtable discussion on missing and murdered indigenous women, first proposed by Canada’s premiers and which the federal government is now amenable to.
The issue of missing and murdered indigenous women was discussed at length during Friday’s police board meeting, with citizen David Sanders, who is also running for mayor, kicking off the discussion.
“Our community should mourn the loss of every life and spare no effort to prevent violence and exploitation and the murder of any human being,” Sanders told the board.
“But when we find a continuing pattern of criminal behaviour involving the frequent victimization of a particular vulnerable group, such as our aboriginal women, we must name such atrocities and we must all work to stop them from happening again and again.”
Clunis said the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women goes far beyond policing, but there are initiatives that both the board and the police force could take.
“I think if any city should take the lead, it should be the City of Winnipeg,” said Clunis, adding that under his tenure, the force has worked hard at establishing partnerships with community groups.
“When you look at the urban population of First Nations and Metis in the city of Winnipeg, that’s what I meant by that, significant population, so if any city should feel really close to this issue, it should be the city of Winnipeg.”
While Sanders expressed support for a national inquiry, Clunis said this was a political matter outside of the scope of his focus of the day-to-day policing.
On the murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose body was found in the Red River in August, Clunis said this “should not happen anywhere.”
“My reaction probably was the same as any other caring individual, you mourn for that, you do not like to see that happening … as an individual, I felt that, absolutely,” he said, adding that there has been a “long historic marginalization” of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in Canada.
“We have to first recognize that, accept it and then let’s go forward and deal with it.”
Coun. Scott Fielding, who chairs the police board, said the strategic plan is for five years and believes it will include aspects that will address the root causes that can result in the exploitation of society’s more vulnerable.
Fielding said that he supports the call for a roundtable discussion on missing and murdered indigenous women, first proposed by Canada’s premiers and which the federal government is now amenable to.
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