Outdated bulletproof vests, used police cars, unsecured stations and cells and lower pay then other forces are just a few of the problems facing Quebec’s First Nations police forces according to testimony heard on Thursday at the Viens Commission.

Chief Ghislain Picard, head of the Quebec-Labrador Assembly of First Nations, said the situation faced by First Nations police forces is discriminatory.

“Why are police services in Aboriginal communities not treated the same as others?” he said.

Picard was accompanied by leaders from different Quebec Native communities and police chiefs.

He said that while the plight of the police forces is not new, the situation is deteriorating from year to year. He said Aboriginal communities want recognition that their police forces are an essential service and not just a “program” as they are classified now, and given the same financial means as other forces.

"Our policing services are not looked at the same way we look at the SQ, RCMP or municipal police," said Picard. "But more importantly, I think what is very disturbing and troubling here is that the security of our people, which is really a must anywhere else in the country, is compromised and that's totally unacceptable."

Lloyd Alcon, a band councillor in the First Nations community of Listuguj who served as a police officer for 15 years, testified that chronic government underfunding is a significant factor.

“I wanted to continue my police career, the way things are set up, we're set up to fail,” he said. “With the agreements there's hardly any increase we give you, take that money and try and stretch it out to cover safety, equipment, retention, training and salaries.”

In January, the federal government announced $291 million over five years in additional funding for the country's First Nations and Inuit police forces. Picard said he's waiting to see if Quebec follows suit when it unveils its budget next week.

Funding agreements for First Nations police services expire March 31, and Picard is accusing government representatives of trying to impose conditions unilaterally.

“This is far from a process of negotiation, it's really a situation where communities are told you take it or you leave it,” he said.

In a letter to federal and provincial public security ministers, Picard wrote that if indeed, that is how the process unfolds, the "momentum of the spirit of reconciliation will be greatly altered."

The commission is tasked with examining the often strained relationship between Quebec’s First Nations communities and the province’s public services department.

Last week, the commission heard testimony regarding the Montreal police force, which was accused of targeting homeless members of the Indigenous community with tickets and harassment tactics.

 

- With files from The Canadian Press