What Needs to Change

RCMP: A Century of Control and Controversy — Part 10: What Needs to Change

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

⚠️ Content Warning: This post discusses Indigenous resistance, residential school tragedies, and systemic abuse.

Canada’s history of policing is marred by colonial control, systemic racism, and repeated failures to protect vulnerable communities. From the founding of the North-West Mounted Police to modern RCMP operations, the same patterns repeat: Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities often bear the brunt of neglect, abuse, and over-policing.

Consider some key moments:

• Oka Crisis (1990): A 78-day standoff between Mohawk protestors and the RCMP over land rights in Quebec. The standoff highlighted longstanding land disputes and the force’s willingness to use militarized tactics against Indigenous peoples asserting sovereignty.
• Sundance Ceremonies: Despite constitutional protections, RCMP interference historically disrupted spiritual ceremonies and cultural practices, enforcing colonial law over Indigenous traditions.
• Kamloops Residential School (discovered 2021): The tragic unmarked graves of 215 children uncovered at Kamloops Indian Residential School exposed the genocidal legacy of Canada’s forced assimilation policies — policies that were enforced in part by the RCMP’s policing authority.

These events are not distant history; they inform modern distrust of law enforcement. Indigenous communities continue to face over-policing, racial profiling, and inadequate protection. Meanwhile, Canada’s urban centers grapple with organized crime, housing crises, and public safety challenges — all under the gaze of a police force still wrestling with its past.

So what needs to change?

1. Community-led safety initiatives: Programs run by local communities, especially Indigenous communities, to create culturally-informed safety measures.
2. Restorative justice: Shifting focus from punitive systems to healing, accountability, and rehabilitation.
3. Transparency and accountability: Independent oversight bodies must have real power to discipline officers and enforce systemic reform.
4. Education and awareness: Citizens must understand RCMP history — from Oka to Kamloops — to demand structural change and prevent repetition.
5. Cultural competence in policing: Officers must be trained to respect Indigenous sovereignty, cultural practices, and human rights.

Change is possible, but it requires truth, accountability, and courage. By learning from history and acknowledging trauma, Canada can reimagine policing not as a tool of control, but as a service that protects all communities fairly.

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Reflection Questions

1. How do events like Oka, Sundance interference, and Kamloops Residential School shape trust in policing today?
2. What would community-led safety look like in your area?
3. How can Canadians actively participate in creating a fairer, more accountable justice system?

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Mini Quiz

1. What was the Oka Crisis about?
   • A) A housing dispute in Vancouver
   • B) Land rights standoff between Mohawk protestors and RCMP ✅
   • C) A police parade
2. What tragic discovery was made at Kamloops Residential School in 2021?
   • A) Unmarked graves of 215 children ✅
   • B) A new police station
   • C) Archaeological artifacts unrelated to policing
3. Which approach focuses on healing rather than punishment?
   • A) Restorative justice ✅
   • B) Militarized policing
   • C) Strict incarceration