Indigenous and Northern Affairs

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs met to study first nations and Inuit policing. Appearing were Sandra DeLaronde, Project Lead for the Gi-Ganawenima'Anaanig #231 Implementation Committee (Manitoba); Chief Karen Bell of Garden River First Nation; and Jason Jacques, Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer, with Govindadeva Bernier, Director of Budgetary Analysis, from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Sandra DeLaronde described how her network’s engagement on a red dress alert system in Manitoba found a deep mistrust of non-indigenous police, with families often reluctant to report missing loved ones due to dismissive treatment. She recommended creating an indigenous-led red dress alert organization as a first point of contact, alongside parallel investment in indigenous police services and dedicated indigenous units within non-indigenous forces. She called for federal legislation to implement a nationwide alert system and for long-term government commitment, noting that 105 indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people have been murdered in Manitoba since 2020.

Chief Karen Bell, a former police officer with 35 years in her home community, testified that self-administered first nations police services remain critically underfunded, with her own detachment still operating with only five officers since 1995 despite population growth. She described working alone for 12-hour shifts with backup often an hour away, leading to unsafe conditions and an inability to properly investigate crimes. She urged that first nations policing be designated an essential service and that funding be increased to at least double the current complement of officers, arguing that gun confiscation is not a priority compared to addressing violent crime, human trafficking and drug issues in communities.

Jason Jacques and Govindadeva Bernier presented a PBO report showing that federal funding for first nations and Inuit policing tripled between 2015 and 2025, but that short-term contribution agreements disrupt long-term planning and that the funding gap remains unquantified. They noted that the 52% federal–48% provincial cost-share formula can stall spending when provinces cannot match funds, and that Public Safety Canada provided data only in paper format, requiring manual entry. Jacques offered to prepare an estimate of the funding gap if the committee requested it, stating the data and methodology exist but require two to three months of work.

The committee briefly debated a motion to request the PBO to estimate the funding gap, with members expressing support for the idea. No procedural votes or other motions were recorded.