The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is continuing their work to bring First Nations administered policing to their communities.
Recently representatives from the tribal council were in Ottawa meeting with federal officials speaking about proposed legislation which could see First Nations policing expanded.
PAGC Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie was one of those representatives, he explained the meeting with representatives from the federal government was productive as they spoke with the people at the Ministry of Public Safety currently working on legislation which would see First Nations policing classified as being an essential service, along with other possible changes.
“We had a meeting with the lady that was drafting up the legislation and just discussion about the challenges that we have in our communities, and what we’d like to do,” he said.
The PAGC has been working to bring First Nations administered policing to their communities for a number of years, the topic has been getting more attention recently since the mass stabbings on James Smith Cree Nation this past Labour Day weekend.
Tsannie said in their time working on the issue they have built relationships with people at both the federal and provincial levels of government. Overall the vice chief said they’ve had good talks, adding that what PAGC is looking to do in establishing a First Nations police service to serve such a large area with a diverse range of communities is much different then what others have done before.
“It’ll be a huge undertaking for the grand council and our First Nations communities,” he said.
Tsannie said as they continue to move forward on the possible policing changes the communities which make up the PAGC will be consulted and kept informed about what is going on with the process.
“Our next step is just engagement with the communities, this coming winter, we’ll have people going into a community and talk about ‘How do you want to see policing done in your community,” he said.
The vice chief said besides self administered policing the grand council is also looking at trying to develop some sort of community safety plan, which would look at how overall safety in communities can be improved by looking at a wide range of different solutions. Tsannie said it is important these other avenues which could help make communities safer be looked at as well.
“At the end of the day that’s what it’s about, how do we create a community that’s going to be safe, how can we create a safe community for our young people to be the best that they can be,” he said.
(Top Photo: Prince Albert Grand Council Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie.)