“This process has forever tarnished the image of the RCMP as a Canadian icon.” The Honourable Michel Bastarache, Independent Assessor RCMP’S TOXIC CULTURE Racism, misogyny and homophobia – these are the characteristics of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) toxic culture according to a new report released this week. The report: Broken Dreams Broken Lives was…
Continue reading…about Explosive Report Finds RCMP Toxic Culture of Racism, Misogyny & Homophobia
*This article was originally published in The Lawyer’s Daily on Jan.30, 2019. For decades, federal and provincial governments, through their local, regional and national police agencies and court systems, have arrested, charged and imprisoned thousands of First Nations people for engaging in the cannabis trade. Many had hoped that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stated commitment…
Continue reading…about Cannabis legalization ignores First Nations
(Image from Unistoten Camp) *This article was originally published in Canadian Dimension Magazine on May 15, 2018. Conflict is coming. There is no getting around that fact. Anyone who believes that reconciliation will be about blanket exercises, cultural awareness…
Continue reading…about True Test of Reconciliation: Respect the Indigenous Right to Say No
*This article was originally published in Lawyer’s Daily on April 4, 2018 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claims that there is no more important relationship than the one with Indigenous peoples and committed to a renewed nation to nation relationship based on respect for Indigenous rights. To this end, Trudeau made many promises to First Nations,…
Continue reading…about Canada’s Criminalization of the Indigenous Tobacco Trade
*Originally published in Lawyer’s Daily on November 6, 2017 (edited to include links) The integrity of Canada’s policing and corrections system has been called into disrepute from the sexualized violence committed by its police and corrections officers against Indigenous women and girls, female prisoners and even their own female colleagues. Recently, officials at Edmonton’s maximum…
Pam Palmater and Toronto Police Inspector Steve Irwin Giving Testimony Before Parliament (CBC News) In 1989, the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall Jr., Prosecution found that the criminal justice system failed Marshall “at virtually every turn” due “to the fact that Donald Marshall, Jr., is a Native.”[i]…
First Question: Senator Mitchell: My next question would probably go to Ms. Palmater and Mr. Bennett. The bill originally had “unlawful advocacy,” and I believe that’s been taken out. But I also believe that it still leaves a gap, and that is to say that you can do something unlawful that is perfectly non-terrorist. In…
In 2014, the RCMP released a report on their “National Operational Review” on the issue of “Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women” which amounted to 1181 women total – 164 missing and 1017 murdered. The core conclusion of the report was that “Aboriginal women”* were over-represented in the numbers of murdered and missing. They cautioned readers…
Continue reading…about RCMP Report on Murdered and Missing Aboriginal Women is Statistically Skewed
*Mr. Romeo Saganash (Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, NDP): Thank you, Mr. Chair. Welcome and thank you to both of our witnesses this morning. I want to start with Ms. Palmater. I’ve been in this business for more than 30 years as well. I’ve been called many names, too. All of our protests and challenges posed by aboriginal peoples in…
Dr. Pamela Palmater (Chair in Indigenous Governance, Ryerson University, Department of Politics & Public Administration, As an Individual)* Thank you for inviting me here today to speak. I want to first acknowledge that we’re on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation and that’s not just the polite acknowledgement. That’s the very reason why all of…
Continue reading…about Transcript of my Testimony on Bill C-51 Anti-Terrorism Act – March 24 2015