A Surrey Police crest is seen on the side of one of the force’s vehicles in Surrey, B.C., in July 2023. The provincial government wants the city to move ahead with an independent police force instead of using the RCMP.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The current blue-on-blue battle between competing law enforcement agencies in a large British Columbia city does little to strengthen public trust in the rule of law and in our police forces
Canada has a Victims Bill of Rights to protect victims of crime. But its scope and powers are insufficient.
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The Victims Bill of Rights merely lists a series of guidelines that those in the criminal justice system should take into account, as they see fit. It does not compel them to do so.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride troop practises at their stables in Ottawa in May 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The scourge of workplace violence necessitates a seismic shift in our perspective and response. Decisive action is required to prevent and end this crisis within the RCMP and other police forces.
RCMP officers in red serge march at a regimental funeral in Richmond, B.C. in November 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Canada must reflect on the profound consequences of over-surveillance on the freedoms of religion, expression and association — particularly for Muslim Canadians — and their impact on equality.
If police are serious about respecting our fundamental rights and ensuring public safety, they should take action.
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The Charter of Rights and Freedoms prohibits Canadian police from using excessive force and conducting unreasonable searches. But research has found many cases of police violating the Charter.
A woman holds a sign during a demonstration calling for police accountability in Vancouver in May 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
There have been longstanding calls for police and governments to collect and share data about incidents where the use of force caused injury and death to civilians.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki announced on Feb. 15 that she would be retiring.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Brenda Lucki’s retirement will change the person in charge of the RCMP. But the organization’s deeper structural problems cannot be fixed with a change at the top.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference as a member of his RCMP security detail stands by on Bowen Island, B.C., in July 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Sexual violence by police is more common than many might think. Failing to fully investigate can have a chilling effect on what is already the most underreported violent crime in Canada.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki testifies at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry on Aug. 23, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Discussions of political interference are largely misdirected because they distract from the necessary and warranted criticisms of the RCMP’s mishandling of the mass shooting.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki leaves Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 20, 2020, following a press conference regarding the mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Allegations of political interference once again confirms the national RCMP culture, structure and systems of organization are long overdue for a divorce from Ottawa political masters.
Colten Boushie’s family fought for accountability after the racist actions of the RCMP as they investigated the death of her son who was shot and killed by a local farmer. Here she holds up his photo during the 2018 trial.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Years of research show that Indigenous, Black and racialized people experience over-policing but also, under-policing, as was the case with the RCMP investigation into Colten Boushie’s death in 2016.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces march during the Calgary Stampede parade in Calgary in July 2016.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Simply including more women at organizations without addressing underlying power structures and practices does little good. Representation isn’t synonymous with change.
A young man in Ontario (not pictured) affiliated with incel culture has been charged with terrorism, which may pose problems for how we understand national security.
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The decision to charge an incel youth with terrorism reinforces worrying trends in counterterrorism.
Handguns are displayed at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas. Handguns account for most of the guns being purchased by first-time gun buyers in the United States during the coronavirus pandemic.
AP Photo/John Locher
Amid the angst over a surge in gun sales in both the United States and Canada during the pandemic, few have noted the three key differences between the two countries.
Supporters of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose the Coastal GasLink pipeline set up a support station near Gidimt'en checkpoint near Houston B.C., in January 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
The fact that so many Canadian pension funds are tied to oil and gas companies is a deeply structural form of racialized oppression and a denial of Indigenous rights.
Members of the RCMP look on as supporters of the Wet'suwet'en Nation block a road outside of RCMP headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on Jan. 16, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
The RCMP have long been responsible for violence against Indigenous people.
Striking CN rail members are seen outside the Mclean Rail Yard in North Vancouver on Nov. 20, 2019. Confidential RCMP documents reveal how involved corporations are when faced with disruptions to “business as usual” and how federal agencies should respond.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Internal documents reveal how police and government respond to protests or labour disputes that are framed as threats to national security, and how heavily corporations are involved.
People listen to a speaker as they gather in Nathan Phillips Square, before embarking on a Women’s March in Toronto on Jan. 20, 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young