First Voice is welcoming a statement issued today by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary acknowledging the role it has played in the harms it has caused and committing to work in partnership with the urban Indigenous community toward truth and reconciliation.
In its statement, the RNC says reconciliation requires action and recognizes the colonial history of Newfoundland and Labrador, the ongoing harms it has caused and the societal constructs formed as a result.
The RNC says it is not immune to the systemic formation of racism, discrimination and societal differences within the province’s institutions that have resulted in “injustices to Indigenous and racialized people,” while acknowledging the impact of racism within the province’s communities and the role police have played in it.
The Constabulary says Chief Roche and his management team has met with representatives of First Voice, and “are committed to a pathway of change and growth.”
First Voice says it has agreed to provide the RNC with any support and advice they may need to achieve that goal, and they are reiterating the “urgent need” for systemic change in the way in which policing is carried out in the province. It is renewing its call for Justice Minister John Hogan to make a similar commitment to implement all of the Calls for Justice made through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry.
