RCMP work during protests under scrutiny in British Columbia
The investigation targets the activities of an RCMP group responsible for acting during public order events related to large-scale resource-based industrial projects in Colombia. British.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) watchdog has launched a systemic investigation into a federal police unit dealing with protests against logging and pipeline projects in Colombia -British.
The Chair of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC), Michelaine Lahaie, said in a statement Thursday, that the investigation will relate to the activities and operations of the RCMP “E” Division Community and Industry Safety Task Force.
The group is tasked with providing a coordinated response to public order events related to large-scale resource-based industrial projects in British Columbia.
In recent months, complaints and allegations of misconduct against GISCI have increased.
Protesters against old growth logging on Vancouver Island have alleged that the RCMP used excessive force, such as spraying people's faces with pepper spray at close range , as well as pushing and throwing them to the ground.
In July 2022, a coalition of organizations filed a complaint against GISCI for alleged unlawful arrests during an intervention in Argenta, in eastern British Columbia.
The complaints commission plans to assess whether the group's procedures complied with the law and its own policies.
It also intends to examine whether RCMP policies, procedures and training clearly define the role of the RCMP and that of the unit, as well as whether they comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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According to the release, the survey will also indicate, where appropriate, the extent to which GISCI's operations meet the standards and expectations established by Federal Bill C -15, which relates to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the British Columbia Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the calls for justice stemming from the National Women's Inquiry and missing and murdered Indigenous girls.
CCEPT says it has received 488 public complaints as of February 28 related to protests surrounding the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline and the operation of ancient forests at Fairy Creek.
With information from The Canadian Press
