Families call for inquiry after nine Indigenous people killed in police interactions

Black and Indigenous women gathered in Ottawa to demand action following a spate of police-involved deaths, including nine Indigenous people who were killed in interactions with police in August and September.

The families, who often spoke through tears about their loved ones, urged the federal government to launch a national inquiry into the deaths.

Laura Holland, a Wet’suwet’en woman and the mother of Jared Lowndes, said it’s a state of emergency for Indigenous Peoples.

“We’re being killed on the streets, in our homes, everywhere, and no one is saying anything,” she said, adding that it has been “impossible” to get justice for the death of her son in 2021.

“When police kill one member of your family, they kill your whole family.”

She said there must be systemic change to the way police services operate.

The minister of Crown-Indigenous relations earlier called the string of deaths troubling and said he encouraged police services to ensure accountability and build trust.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson from Gary Anandasangaree’s office said the department will support what communities want and need to address the issue.

A similar call for a police inquiry was raised last week as the Assembly of First Nations gathered in Calgary.

At that meeting, Blood Tribe chief Roy Fox spoke on behalf of member Jon Wells and his family after he was killed by police, and called for a public inquiry into his death.

“We have not received any kind of support or any kind of sign of empathy from the provincial government, nor the federal government,” Fox told those gathered.