Question Period Note: First Nations Policing

Recent media attention on First Nations policing, including commitments made in the Liberal platform, have highlighted the need for improvements in this area.

• All communities should benefit from policing that is professional and dedicated – and First Nations and Inuit communities are no exception.

• In 2018 our Government committed to invest up to $291.2 million over five years, under the First Nations Policing Program to improve officer safety, policing equipment, salaries, and additional officers.

• In addition, to provide greater financial stability for communities, the federal funding commitment is ongoing and includes an annual increase to keep up with inflation.

• Yet, challenges remain and we have been hearing that there is a need for more transformative changes in the way First Nation and Inuit policing is supported in this country.

• As we assess options for moving forward, our Government remains committed to working in partnership with Indigenous communities and provincial and territorial governments.

If pressed on police infrastructure in Indigenous communities:

• In 2018, our Government announced $88.6 million over seven years, for policing facilities in First Nation and Inuit communities.

• We are collaborating with provinces and territories to ensure funding goes towards addressing the most urgent, known infrastructure projects in First Nation and Inuit communities.

First Nations Policing Program (FNPP)

The FNPP is a contribution program that provides funding to support the provision of policing services to First Nation and Inuit communities across Canada. FNPP policing agreements are cost-shared between the federal government (52%) and the Provincial/Territorial (PT) government (48%). The FNPP currently serves approximately 60% of First Nation and Inuit communities in Canada.

In 2018-2019, Public Safety Canada (PS) provided over $146 million under the FNPP to support 1,322 police officer positions in over 450 First Nation and Inuit communities in Canada. Funding under the FNPP is provided to support two main policing models:

1. Self-Administered Police Service Agreements (SA): where a First Nation or Inuit police service is authorized or established by the PT government and provides primary (day-to-day) policing services to a First Nation or Inuit community. SAs account for 789 police officer positions; and,

2. Community Tripartite Agreements (CTA): where a contingent of police officers from the RCMP provide dedicated policing to a First Nation or Inuit community that is intended to supplement the level of PT police services provided to that community. CTAs are made pursuant to bilateral Framework Agreements between Canada and the participating PT. CTAs account for 449.5 police officer positions.

In addition to these two main policing models, the FNPP provides support to other policing agreements, with an additional 83.5 police officer positions.

The FNPP has had a significant and measurable positive impact on the safety of First Nation and Inuit communities funded under the program. Based on an analysis of FNPP-funded police detachments, there has been a 26% decrease in incidents of crime from 2004 to 2014, with a 25% reduction in incidents of violent crime.

In January 2018, the Government of Canada announced a federal investment of up to $291.2 million over five years, beginning in 2018-19, for policing in First Nation and Inuit communities. This additional funding is intended to address matters such as officer safety, police equipment purchases and salaries, as well as support 110 additional police officer positions in First Nation and Inuit communities currently served under the FNPP. With this new funding, PS is currently working with PTs to renew existing FNPP agreements.

In 2018-2019, all SAs were renewed for a period ranging from one to 10 years. PS officials continue to collaborate with PT counterparts and agreement holders to renew those one-year agreements signed in 2018-2019. Efforts also continue with respect to the renewal of agreements where the RCMP is the service provider.

Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) examined the root causes of this issue and released a final report in June 2018, including over 230 Calls to Justice. The final report’s recommendations touch many parts of PS’ purview including policing, human trafficking and corrections. Specifically, Call for Justice 5.4 states “We call upon all governments to immediately and dramatically transform Indigenous policing from its current state as a mere delegation to an exercise in self-governance and self-determination over policing. To do this, the federal government's First Nations Policing Program must be replaced with a new legislative and funding framework, consistent with international and domestic policing best practices and standards, that must be developed by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in partnership with Indigenous Peoples.”

The Liberal party platform including the following commitments “To move forward with First Nations policing that serves First Nations communities well, we will co-develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing which recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service. We will also work with interested First Nations communities to expand the number of communities served by First Nations policing.”

Funding for First Nation and Inuit Policing Facilities

In November 2018, the Government of Canada created a new program, Funding for First Nation and Inuit Policing Facilities, with an investment of $88.6 million in contributions funding over seven years, beginning in 2018-19, to support the repair, renovation and replacement of policing facilities in First Nation and Inuit communities. As with the FNPP, these investments will be cost-shared under a 52% federal – 48% provincial/territorial ratio.

PS officials have and continue to collaborate with their PT counterparts in order to make decisions on where to allocate funding to address the most urgent, known police infrastructure projects in Indigenous communities served under the FNPP for 2019-2020.

A Request for Proposals will soon be launched to conduct an independent, professional assessment of First Nation and Inuit police service facilities. Moving forward, funding allocations will be guided by the findings of the professional assessment and a set of national merit criteria, to be developed in collaboration with PTs and with First Nation and Inuit organizations.

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