SASKATOON -- On March 20, Sask. RCMP released a statement saying it would implement the recommendations of a report examining the police investigation into Colten Boushie’s death by April 1, 2021.
The report was completed by The Civilian Review Complaints Commission (CRCC), an independent agency that examines the conduct of the RCMP.
Sask. RCMP says its been closely monitoring completion of the cultural training.
It said the most recent update indicated “we are on track to meet this commitment,” in an email to CTV News.
Some of the recommendations in the report include giving some officers more guidance to interviewing witnesses and cultural awareness training to be provided to all RCMP employees.
“For now it’s just words. We really haven’t seen any action yet.” said Eleanore Sunchild, Debbie Baptiste’s lawyer.
Sunchild says she hasn’t seen any evidence or outcome of any of the recommendations which is concerning.
She adds that it will take a lot more than cultural training for the RCMP to make serious changes within its system.
“It’s going to take a long time and it’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of soul searching for them as an organization to repair that relationship with Indigenous people.”
Boushie, 22 at the time of his death, was a Cree Indigenous man of the Red Pheasant First Nation. He was killed in August 2016, while sitting in an SUV which had been driven onto the farm of Gerald Stanley near Biggar, Sask.
Gerald Stanely was acquitted in Feb. 2018 for the death of Boushie.
In the March statement, RCMP acknowledged that systemic racism exists in the RCMP.
