The Dene Nation and Northwest Territories are about to begin a new shared effort to repair long-lasting tensions between policing and Indigenous people, which if successful, could set a precedent across the country.
The two parties, that will involve 10 employees and 10 Indigenous leaders, will be entering a one-year-long pilot program with Edmonton-based leadership development company Unstoppable Conversations.
The Dene Nation said in a news release on June 21 that the two parties will attempt to permanently end systemic racism against Indigenous people in Canadian policing.
SA国际影视传媒淭here is no time to waste on activating transformational change within Canadian policing by breaking down the walls of systemic racism,SA国际影视传媒� said National Chief Norman Yakeleya in a statement. SA国际影视传媒淔or far too long our people have been held down by the unequal application of the Canadian justice system which has contributed to an ongoing cycle of inter-generational pain and trauma.
SA国际影视传媒淚ndigenous peoples are ready to move beyond platitudes that denounce racism and move towards tangible, clear and implementable action that transforms policing and justice systems.SA国际影视传媒�
Chief superintendent Jamie Zettler, commanding officer of the Northwest Territories said in a statement that his police organization is aiming to work closely with the Dene Nation on addressing issues of reconciliation, systemic racism, inter-generational trauma, and cultural awareness in northern communities.
SA国际影视传媒淭he Northwest Territories (NT) will need to continue developing our understanding on this path with our communities,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲ith this evolving awareness and knowledge, the NT must transition to SA国际影视传媒榦perationalizeSA国际影视传媒� this knowledge in our duties.
SA国际影视传媒淭his will look very different in five or 10 years as it evolves and continually changes as we learn from our communities what has worked and what has not.SA国际影视传媒�
Zettler said it remains most important to ensure that there is an SA国际影视传媒渙pen bilateral dialogueSA国际影视传媒� with the communities where his police organization works.
Marie York-Condon, media spokesperson with the added on Tuesday that the sees this exercise as the next step in its ongoing relationship with northern Indigenous residents.
SA国际影视传媒淣T has a good ongoing working relationship with the Dene Nation, and through mutual discussions and a desire to learn and grow in our reconciliation path, believes programs such as this is the next evolution in our journey,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Vik Maraj, co-founder and lead designer with the company said he has done a lot of work over the past two decades attempting to solve deep tensions that hinder operations within big organizations that have have included Lululemon and Westjet.
The company also has a lot of experience implementing the same kind of methodology between large entities like the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Northern Ireland.
SA国际影视传媒淎s a firm we have a unique method of transforming pretty intractable problems SA国际影视传媒� things like systemic racism SA国际影视传媒� and company cultures that are stuck in the past and can't or won't adapt to change,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
SA国际影视传媒淚n this case what we have is the Dene Nation really leading the way and using our methodology to address the colonial embedded mentality that has been there between Indigenous people and for well over a century.SA国际影视传媒�
The method distinct from traditional conflict resolution or mediation or psychology, he said, but the aims are similar "where relationships are permanently transformed."
SA国际影视传媒淲e try to help individuals and groups of people see debilitating patterns from their past that are ruining their ability create anything new,SA国际影视传媒� he explained.
Having officials and Dene leaders in the same room transforming their deep-seated history and working towards joint solutions is entirely new, he said.
Maraj said participants will take part in workshops that SA国际影视传媒渆xplore paradigmsSA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒� meaning how police officers have come to think about and reach conclusions regarding Indigenous peoples and vice-versa.
The process will allow people to get free from the limitations of some of these unexamined and handed down believes and conclusions.
The collaborative training announcement also follows a year last year which saw videos of high-profile violent arrests between the and Indigenous people going viral.
They included the violent of arrest of Dene Nation Independent Member Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in March 2020 at a Fort McMurray casino.
In Nunavut, a Kinngait officer attracted national attention after striking an intoxicated resident with the door of a pickup truck while the vehicle was in motion in June 2020.
Both incidents were in addition to the violent May 2020 arrest of George Floyd who was murdered while being arrested in Minneapolis by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. .
