Ottawa directed RCMP to ban neck restraints, tear gas and rubber bullets. What does it mean for B.C.?

Some B.C. experts say Ottawa's directive that the RCMP stop using neck restraints, tear gas and rubber bullets should have happened years ago.

Others, however, warn taking away some so-called "less-lethal" options may not be the right move. 

Tonye Aganaba, with Vancouver's Black Lives Matter and Defund 604 Network, says such use-of-force techniques are all too common. She cited recent police actions in response to protests by old-growth logging activists on Vancouver Island.

"There was a lot of violence that happened at Fairy Creek," she said. "A lot of the same strategies that we're talking about right now were being weaponized," she said.

The Canadian government recently announced it will soon direct the RCMP to ban the controversial tactics. The move comes after years of increased scrutiny on police conduct, as well as protests critical of policing.

Last month, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino issued a new mandate letter calling on RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki to end the police force's use of the techniques. He also called for developing national standards for the use of force.

Vancouver police confirm all three use of force techniques are used by officers in accordance with the B.C. Police Act.

But not everyone is on board with the directive.

Former RCMP officer Alain Babineau, a consultant on public safety and racial profiling issues, told CBC News last month he questioned the move, and wants to see the evidence on which the government based its decision.

"Now if we start limiting the intervention tools for the police, then we are limiting the options they have," Babineau said. "If firearms become the only option, then it's reasonable to think that things might go very badly at times."

Meghan McDermott, with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, praised the decision. She said provincial policing standards need to be updated.

"The B.C. standards also allow for the use of tear gas, which is against international conventions," she said. "They can't even be used in war.

"But for some reason, the B.C. Police Services Division thinks that it's an alright tactic to be used in some situations."      The new mandate letter also calls for changes to recruitment "to better reflect the communities it serves, in particular Indigenous and Black communities, and recruiting more members with the skills necessary to combat sophisticated crimes."

"There is systemic discrimination, there is racism going on and that certain individuals and communities are disproportionately impacted," McDermott said. "They are traumatized."