Liberals are failing to address police violence

NDP Public Safety Critic, Alistair MacGregor, made the following statement:

“Today, the inquiry into the death of Chantel Moore, an Indigenous woman who was killed by police in New Brunswick during a routine wellness check is set to begin. We hope this investigation into her tragic death will finally give her family and community the answers they deserve.

A wellness check, carried out by a police officer, should never result in death. This cannot be allowed to continue. The government has a responsibility to ensure systemic change so that all communities are served by police forces in Canada.

Sadly, there are many examples of police violence against Indigenous and racialized people. The Feminist Alliance for International Action’s (FAFIA) recent report found that there is a pattern of discrimination, harassment and assault against Indigenous women by officers of the RCMP.

On this government’s watch, police violence against Indigenous and racialized people continues to be a huge problem and it’s costing people their lives. The Liberals, despite the FAFIA’s scathing findings, continue to allow the police to abuse their power which causes harm to Indigenous women and girls like Chantel.

New Democrats are fighting for people by pushing the Liberals to put in place meaningful reforms and to hold the police accountable whenever an instance of violence or abuse is reported. The NDP will fight for police officers to receive more professional training, including bias and gender-based violence training.

The government has a responsibility to make sure that what happened to Chantel never happens again.

Today, New Democrats are thinking of Chantel, her family and her community and we commit to pushing the government to take action so no one is harmed during a police wellness check ever again.”