MPs to hold emergency debate after 6 First Nations deaths by police over 2 weeks

The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate Monday evening after six separate incidents in two weeks where First Nations people were killed by police. 

Lori Idlout, MP for Nunavut, requested the debate. 

"For decades Indigenous people have been injured, worse yet, died at the hands of the RCMP," Idlout said in a speech before the House. 

The deaths between Aug. 29 and Sept. 8 involved both RCMP and municipal police officers across five provinces. 

Police watchdogs are investigating all of the incidents. 

Idlout said she and the federal NDP sought the debate to discuss measures that would save Indigenous people's lives. 

"No more Indigenous children must lose their father to the barrel of an RCMP gun. No more sisters must be stolen by the RCMP," she said in her speech. 

"No more Indigenous children must get bullet wounds instead of help." 

The emergency debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Monday. 

David Milward, an associate professor of law at the University of Victoria and a member of Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation in Saskatchewan, said the deaths represent "more of the same" when it comes to policing in Canada.

Milward, who appeared as an expert witness for a human rights complaint against the B.C. RCMP, said the RCMP "was established as a method of asserting colonial control over the Canadian West and against Indigenous peoples."

The recent deaths only "add salt" to past wounds, he said. Milward said the RCMP must do "more than just all correct a few tweaks or make a few guidelines or do a little more diversity hiring."

"Do you have to burn it completely down to the ground? Start over? I don't know," he said.

Milward said he doesn't like to paint all RCMP officers with the same brush and knows there are individual RCMP officers working toward positive change.