OTTAWA — Federal officials worried long-promised legislation declaring First Nations policing an essential service was being delayed by Assembly of First Nations hesitations about the bill, newly released internal documents show.
Records obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act also appear to show that one of the sticking points for both the advocacy organization and Ottawa is whether to recognize policing as an area of First Nations jurisdiction — something the government has done when it comes to child-welfare services.
The RCMP was the police service of jurisdiction, with the closest detachment located nearly 50 kilometres away. That prompted the community to call for immediate changes to emergency services in the area, including faster response times. The documents show officials were concerned things were not moving fast enough for the government to meet its promise to table a bill before Parliament's summer recess.
But where the First Nations organization and Ottawa go separate ways is in terms of who would have jurisdiction: the provinces or the First Nations. "We expect that First Nations police services continue to be regulated by provincial policing legislation following the passing of the federal legislation."The assembly's lawyer, Julie McGregor, spoke about the recognition of rights in the bill being a"sticking" point in negotiations at a gathering last month in Halifax.
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