MPs will hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons tonight on the recent deaths of First Nations peoples during interactions with Canadian police forces.
Six First Nations peoples have died in the past two weeks at the hands of police officers, something NDP MP Lori Idlout described as a “disturbing pattern.”
She wrote a letter to Speaker Greg Fergus calling for the emergency debate, while lambasting what she calls a lack of media coverage of the deaths and the government’s failure to pass legislation on First Nations policing.
She said parliamentarians must show leadership and keep institutions accountable. She said a debate will allow discussion of measures that could save Indigenous lives.
The deaths occurred in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8.
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who serves as the National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, said the deaths demonstrate systemic issues across the country. She is demanding accountability from police through independent investigations into each of the deaths.