Conservatives Abandon First Nations Policing

April 2, 2013

TORONTO— Liberal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development critic Carolyn Bennett made the following statement today on the expiration of First Nations Policing Program agreements:

“I am very troubled to hear that the First Nations policing agreements in Quebec were allowed to expire yesterday and that, as a result, 26 Quebec Aboriginal police forces have been disbanded.

These police forces are focused on delivering dedicated, culturally sensitive services that improve community safety, as proven by the noticeable decline in the crime rate in these particular communities.

I am very concerned that the Conservative government left the renewal of these agreements to the last minute, ignored requests by First Nations policing groups to even discuss the issue, and until a few weeks ago did not publicly agree to continue funding.

While the continuation of funding is a positive development, the Conservatives have utterly disregarded First Nations and Inuit police services that have made clear they now lack the resources to continue their critical job.

The Liberal Party is calling on this government to return to the negotiating table and promptly resolve this issue. The communities served by the First Nations Policing Program must not pay the price for the Conservatives’ negligence.”