Canada's Federal Police Commissioner Acknowledges Systemic Racism Within Force - Statement

TORONTO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2020) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Brenda Lucki acknowledged in a statement that there is systemic racism in the Federal police agency after facing backlash for not acknowledging that reality earlier.

"During some recent interviews, I shared that I struggled with the definition of systemic racism, while trying to highlight the great work done by the overwhelming majority of our employees," Lucki said in a statement on Friday. "I did acknowledge that we, like others, have racism in our organization, but I did not say definitively that systemic racism exists in the RCMP. I should have."

Lucki noted that she is aware systemic racism is part of every institution, including the RCMP, and that reality has lead to not always treating fairly the Indigenous people and the people of color.

"Throughout our history and today, we have not always treated racialized and Indigenous people fairly," she said.

Lucki had previously only admitted the presence of "unconscious bias" among RCMP members.

The commissioner also faced criticism for not condemning the RCMP's top cop in Alberta, Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, who denied the presence of systemic racism in policing in the province and in Canada. Zablocki later walked back some of his comments.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly backed Lucki, despite her position, up until today when h acknowledged the existence of systemic racism in Canada.

While the conversations about racial bias in policing were initially spurred by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Canadian activists have also cited ongoing anti-black and anti-indigenous racism at the hands of

In recent weeks videos, including one that shows RCMP officers striking and putting Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam in a chokehold following a traffic stop for expired plates in Fort McMurray, have been used to highlight wrongdoing against racialized Canadians by law enforcement.