Wolastoqey chiefs demand police enforce banishment orders following woman's homicide
CBC
Wolastoqey chiefs in New Brunswick are demanding action from the provincial and federal governments that would result in police officers enforcing band-enacted bylaws banishing unwanted individuals from their communities.
The six chiefs said in a letter that their earlier demands had "fallen on deaf ears." The man accused of a recent homicide in Oromocto First Nation was the subject of a banishment order, they said, and police did not enforce it.
The chiefs say "jurisdictional buck-passing" between the federal and provincial governments has hurt efforts to control crime.
Sheri Lynn Sabattis, 54, was found dead inside a home in Oromocto First Nation on Saturday.
Jared Smith, 38, was arrested later that day and charged with second-degree murder.
Indigenous communities have the ability to enact band council resolutions aimed at banishing undesirable people, said Ross Perley, chief of Neqotkuk First Nation, also known as Tobique, in an interview.
He said his and most other Wolastoqey communities are policed by the RCMP through bilateral agreements, with the expectation that they enforce all laws, including those passed by the band council.
But when it comes to resolutions banning unwanted individuals, he said the RCMP won't act.
"The banishment orders would result in positive changes had we had the Crown and the RCMP to support them and enforce them," Perley said.
"There's tragedies that could happen in the future that can be avoided if we get the support from the Crown and the RCMP."
CBC News asked the New Brunswick RCMP for an interview about whether it enforces banishment orders issued by First Nation communities.
Instead of an interview, Cpl. Hans Ouellette sent an email in which he said band-council bylaw enforcement requires the "assessment of complex legal issues."
"As police, we have to work within the parameters of all our legal authorities and obligations to ensure investigations are conducted justly and fairly, and to ensure we have the evidence needed to support charges," Ouellette said.
He said the RCMP engages regularly with Indigenous communities, and other partners in the justice system, to identify issues of local concern, discuss solutions and set local policing priorities to pursue legal options.
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