RCMP officers line up before a memorial for fallen mounties at RCMP Depot in Regina, Sask., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. The Alberta government is looking to hire a contractor and an executive manager for a proposed provincial police force that would replace the RCMP.
The RCMP is struggling to recruit and retain Indigenous officers. Both former and current Indigenous officers say representation is needed to create change in Canada.Dean Gladue says he never experienced racism until joining the RCMP.
Dean Gladue, shown in a handout photo, served with the RCMP for 26 years. Gladue says if Indigenous people want to see change in Canada, they need to become part of its systems. Roughly seven per cent of its members identify as Indigenous, according to the force's diversity statistics from 2020, down from almost eight per cent a decade earlier.
Reconciliation remains one of them. An internal review of the force's efforts from 2021 said while it has taken steps to address injustices, the role it played in colonialism still looms large.Growing up in Saskatchewan, Heather Bear said she learned there were two justice systems: One for Indigenous people, and one for those who were white.
"It's a turnoff job when you're always on the front line dealing with everything possible that nobody wants to see."After seven years on the job, he returned to Depot for training to gain his constable status.Ralph Cardinal, shown in a handout photo, served just under 30 years with the RCMP and says he survived his many years policing Indigenous communities on the front line through his ability to speak Cree.
Cardinal did love his work. He saw the impact he had in Indigenous communities, visiting with the elders over tea. He credited his ability to speak Cree as helping him survive his decades on the front line.He said he believes the organization is missing chances to recruit more Indigenous officers and is also failing to recognize those who have served.
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