Indigenous police unit just a starting point for Ottawa, community members say

Some members of Indigenous communities in Ottawa have mixed feelings as the city's police force plans to create an Indigenous unit, urging caution that more work is needed to build acceptance and understanding.

On Monday, the Ottawa Police Service released its response to various recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the investigation into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

Chief Eric Stubbs announced the service's plans to create an Indigenous unit that operates full-time on meeting recommendations from the inquiries.

Manitok Thompson, an Inuk broadcaster and former member of Nunavut's legislature who now lives in Carleton Place, Ont., just southwest of Ottawa, welcomed the plan for a new unit focused on Indigenous people.

But she wants to know how it will be shaped. The community's relationship with police is strained because Indigenous residents are "terrified that we will be misjudged, mistreated," she said.

There are currently zero Inuk police officers in the force, which is a disappointing gap, said Thompson. That diversity is necessary to help build relationships with the large Inuit community in Ottawa.

"Sometimes it just boils down to, just because you're an Indigenous person, you're being treated that way unfairly," she said.

Ottawa police declined to comment further on the unit's plan since it's still in early planning stages. In a statement to CBC, police said that "first and foremost," consultation will be a key part of the unit's creation.

"I would have loved to create that unit in the spring, but our staffing situation just doesn't allow us to take any more people from the front lines," Stubbs said at Monday's meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Board.

According to the force, six per cent of its members self-identify as Indigenous, yet  "a very limited number of officers speak Indigenous languages."

Deputy chief Steve Bell also admitted Monday the force is currently failing in recruiting Inuk officers.

Ottawa police said it has tried to improve Indigenous cultural awareness.

For nearly two years, all civilian and police members have been required to take an online course called "The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada."

The course's lead developer, Jennifer David, said it is just a first step toward humanizing Indigenous Peoples, and connecting the past and present.