Claims go back to the time of disgraced judge David Ramsay in Prince George.
According to Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety for British Columbia, there appears to have been a failure to fully investigate claims made about 20 years ago that RCMP personnel in Prince George were abusing Indigenous girls sexually.
Day after B.C First Nations leaders demanded the publication of a report from the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP and a second probe into the matter, Farnworth made the announcement on Thursday night.
Following a copy of the study being leaked to Ian Mulgrew, a columnist for the Vancouver Sun, their requests were made in response to his columns.
The report has not been made public by the CRCC, which looks at complaints regarding RCMP practise, citing privacy issues.
Mulgrew claims in the columns that the accusations go back to the period of notorious Prince George judge David Ramsay, who was given a seven-year prison term in 2004 for sexually assaulting young Indigenous females.
According to Mulgrew, Ramsay’s accusers as well as more than a dozen other young First Nations women also charged nine Mounties and a lawyer with similar crimes.
Farnworth assured the Citizen via email that “the province will be starting a comprehensive independent out-of-jurisdiction investigation into the alarming accusations identified in the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission Report on the RCMP in Prince George.”
The RCMP has stated that they will comply fully with the investigation, including handing over all of their documents to the outside agency, which will be revealed in the upcoming weeks, Farnworth added.
Although there is still more to be done, our administration is steadfastly committed to putting an end to systemic violence against Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and vulnerable individuals.
My government is also examining the suggestions offered by the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act in addition to conducting this probe. To shape the new policing and monitoring legislation, we are collaborating with First Nations and local governments.
“Since this topic is currently the focus of an independent inquiry, I am constrained from making any additional comments on the investigation into the RCMP in Prince George.”
The First Nations Leadership Council and B.C First Nations Justice Council demanded in a letter to Farnworth that was released to the public on Wednesday that the CCRC’s report be made public, that an independent inquiry be led by Indigenous and civilians, that a criminal investigation be conducted, that there be “profound police reform to put an end to negligence and violence towards our people.”
“In order for the discredited RCMP institution to stop harming Indigenous peoples, particularly women, girls, and people of color, it must undergo a total transformation. It is essential to recognize First Nations’ authority over issues of justice, law enforcement, and public safety “additionally remarked.
Premier of British Columbia David Eby, Minister of Justice David Lametti, and Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino all received copies of the letter.
