Truth, reconciliation, and the violence that never stopped

On September 30^th, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, institutions across Canada will speak about the importance of commemorating and addressing the ongoing impacts of residential schools and colonization. In fact, the creation of this commemorative day itself was one of the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Every year, politicians and police chiefs speak about the importance of reconciliation. But these words stand in stark contrast to the lack of progress on the Calls to Action, a lack of progress that has deadly consequences.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action came out nearly a decade ago – and as of today, only 13 of the 94 Calls to Action have been met. And in the month preceding this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadian police have killed an average of two Indigenous people per week across five provinces – prompting an emergency debate in Parliament and calls for greater accountability.

Commemoration is not enough in the face of this ongoing violence that continues to take away and destroy the lives of Indigenous people and communities.

Each of the nine Indigenous people who were killed in the last month were loved members of families and communities. They deserve more than to be treated like statistics or numbers.

On August 29th, RCMP officers hit and killed John Charles Piche, 31, from Clearwater River Dene Nation, with their cruiser on a rural road near Buffalo Narrows, SK. He was a father of two.
On August 30th, the RCMP shot and killed Hoss Lightning, 15, of Samson Cree Nation in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. A “tenderhearted kid” according to his kookum, he had called 911 out of fear for his life. But after officers confiscated his weapons, he fled. The officers pursued, shot, and killed him.
On September 2nd, Winnipeg Police struck and killed Tammy Bateman, 30, of Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation with their cruiser. She was a mother of one and was “always in good spirits.”
On September 6th, Windsor police officers shot and killed Jason West, 57. He was a 60s Scoop survivor and “wonderful person with a really good heart.”
On September 8th, the RCMP in Saskatchewan shot and killed Daniel Knife, 31, of Ahtahkakoop First Nation.
On September 8th, the RCMP in New Brunswick tased and shot Steven Dedam, 34, of Elsipogtog First Nation. His family grieved that they were not allowed to be by his side as he died.
On September 14th, Ron Skunk, 59, of Mishkeegogamang Ojibway First Nation went into medical distress and died in hospital after Ontario Provincial police arrested and detained him.
On September 17th, a Calgary police officer arrested, tased, and killed Jon Wells, 42 of Blood Tribe. He was a “one of a kind cowboy” who had a “heart of gold and a contagious smile.”
On September 24^th, the RCMP in Saskatchewan shot and killed Joseph Desjarlais, 34, of Fishing Lake First Nation.

Of the 94 TRC Calls to Action, 17 are directed at reforming the criminal justice system. Of those, only two have been completed to date. While the Calls to Action do not directly address existing police forces, Call to Action 42 addresses the recognition and implementation of Aboriginal justice systems, and Calls to Action 30 and 38 demand an end to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade. But nine years later, Indigenous people in Canada are incarcerated at a rate 10 times that of non-Indigenous people.

That overrepresentation stems directly from how Indigenous people are policed. Policing and carceral systems in Canada, especially the RCMP, were always created to subjugate Indigenous people. They are built on the same racist foundations that were established by European settlers when they first arrived on these lands.

The killings of Jack, Hoss, Tammy, Jason, Danny, Steven, Ron, Jon and Joseph reveal that policing still reinforces the colonial project. These deaths must be seen alongside other forms of police violence against Indigenous people, including land and water defenders. The same system that enables police to kill also allows them to use violent military tactics against Indigenous land defenders in Wet’suwet’en, or to turn a blind eye while settlers attacked Mi’kmaq fishermen in St. Mary’s Bay.

It is outrageous that governments across this country can continue to increase police budgets, while the implementation of the TRC Calls to Action are at a standstill. If we do not address this double standard, these nine people will not be the last to die at the hands of police.

This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation don’t buy into to the platitudes spouted by politicians and police chiefs. Instead, act – put pressure on your elected officials, participate in rallies to show police and policymakers that the public won’t stand for this double standard. We need to push for sustained and meaningful programs, funding, and Indigenous-led solutions that address the harms that Canada’s carceral and policing systems continue to perpetrate against Indigenous people.

We need to tell them that “soon” is not fast enough to implement the TRC Calls to Action.