RCMP commissioner regrets Indigenous spying program that spanned over a decade

The RCMP's commissioner says he expresses sincere regret for an extensive spying program that targeted hundreds of Indigenous people.

It's the first time Mike Duheme acknowledged reporting by CBC Indigenous concerning RCMP surveillance activities dating back to the late 1960s against Indigenous leaders and organizations.

"We recognize the serious concerns that this history continues to raise for Indigenous Peoples, families and communities across Canada," Duheme wrote in a statement published Wednesday.

"I express sincere regret, and while we cannot change the past, we can and must acknowledge that these actions and their impact continue to be felt today."

Duheme said he and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree intend to host a meeting with Indigenous leadership and elders to discuss healing and how to build a stronger relationship. 

"The RCMP today is not the same organization it was decades ago, but I acknowledge that more must be done," Duheme said.

"We have reflected on those past actions and continue to learn from them. Systemic racism has no place in the RCMP."

Duheme's statement comes after calls from Indigenous leaders and Anandasangaree for the Mounties to take accountability and make amends following a years-long CBC Indigenous investigation revealed the RCMP Security Service ran covert surveillance, had informants and engaged in countersubversion against the First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights movements.

The RCMP Security Service was Canada's domestic intelligence agency until 1984, and has since been replaced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Anandasangaree said he reached out to the RCMP commissioner on Wednesday morning to start a conversation about what a proper response from the Mounties would look like.

"This has to be done, as part of a collaborative process, where those who are impacted feel that they're heard and they have the type of resolution that is important to them," Anandasangaree said before Duheme's statement was released.

The minister said he's "deeply disturbed" by the revelations and is promising to work with Indigenous leaders to ensure redress for those spied on by the RCMP — an operation that had the knowledge and support of the federal government.

"I'm very confident that we will address not just the root cause of this," Anandasangaree said. "Make sure this never happens again, but also ensure that those who are impacted have the closure they're looking for."

The RCMP called its operation the "Native extremism program."