BCFNJC and FNLC applaud Final Report of the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act: Now is time to push forward public safety and policing through self-determination

April 29, 2022

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Okanagan Syilx Territory, BC: The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC), united with the First Nations Summit, the BC Assembly of First Nations and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (collectively the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC)), applaud the recommendations put forth in the final report of the Special Committee on the Reforming Police Act titled, “Transforming Policing and Community Safety in British Columbia.”

The presumption of diversion is a cornerstone of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy, and it is promising to see the Special Committee recognize that police must play a central role in supporting diversion of Indigenous people from the criminal justice system.

The BCFNJC and the FNLC expect all Members of the Legislative Assembly to take bold and swift action to support immediate and full implementation of the recommendations of the Special Committee. A collective sense of urgency is required to ensure this province, and indeed this country, is safe for all those who call it home; in particular, Indigenous people who continue to pay the price of colonialism with their lives. This work is long overdue.