The fight for adequate funding of First Nations policing continues.
A human rights complaint over chronic underfunding was launched in 2022 by the police chiefs representing nine First Nations police services in Ontario.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission scheduled a hearing in January, but it was postponed, and no new date has been scheduled.
First Nations continue to advocate for funding that ensures their police services have the resources to ensure the safety of the communities they patrol.
President of the First Nations Chief of Police Association, Chief Jerry Swamp, says existing funding models provide no certainty.
“We have funding agreements that sometimes are only a year. The longest funding agreement we’ve had was five years,” says Chief Swamp.
“How can I commit a young native individual who wants a career in protecting their community, a long career in policing, if I can only commit to the end of my current agreement, which may be next March 31st? We can’t.”
Swamp says it is a reason why First Nations police services are losing so many officers.
First Nations are also advocating for their police services to be declared essential.
Swamp says former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed Safety Minister Bill Blair to bring forward legislation.
He says they are now moving onto their fifth minister, with no indication that legislation is forthcoming.
“Those promises given to our First Nation police leaders and our First Nation police service boards have not been fulfilled. We still lack the resources and the commitment for our communities to provide that safety and security that every other Canadian citizen in Canada takes for granted.”
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