News Release
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce the launch of a new assessment examining the present and future role of police services in First Nation communities located on reserves, self-governing First Nations, and Inuit communities. This assessment, referred by Public Safety Canada, will serve to build upon the CCA’s previous study Policing Canada in the 21st Century: New Policing for New Challenges.
“We are very pleased to have received this second assessment from Public Safety Canada,” said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FCAHS, President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. “Policing within Indigenous communities is a distinct context — one that was not reviewed as part our earlier work on the same subject. We look forward to producing an in-depth, evidence-based report that will help to inform the future of policing in Indigenous communities.”
Police services in Indigenous communities may face a series of challenges including remoteness, limited access to social services, and scarce resources. At the same time, there are opportunities to strengthen community ties, improve safety outcomes, and enhance the cultural responsiveness of policing in these communities. This assessment will expand on the CCA’s previous study, Policing Canada in the 21st Century: New Policing for New Challenges, to explore the distinctive context of policing in Indigenous communities, and examine promising and leading practices that could be applied to meet these challenges.
Under the guidance of the CCA’s Scientific Advisory Committee, a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral expert panel is being assembled. The CCA’s Member Academies — the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences — also provide key guidance and input throughout the assessment process, including expert panel nominations and dissemination processes. Many experts are also Fellows of the Academies.
It is anticipated the final report will be released in 2018.
For additional updates and to learn more about the specific questions to be addressed as part of this project visit the assessment page.