Commission investigation of the RCMP C-IRG nears 2-year anniversary as PRGT pipeline decision nears
Photo: An RCMP cruiser blocks the Morice River Service Road on Wet’suwet’en territory in November 2021. Photo by Lee Wilson/APTN.
As the B.C .Supreme Court is set to rule on February 18 on an abuse of process allegation about RCMP C-IRG actions on Wet’suwet’en territory, the two year anniversary on March 9 of the CRCC systemic investigation into the C-IRG, and a decision on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline coming as early as next month, we look at the status of the formal public complaints against the C-IRG.
The Ottawa-based Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) has now posted on its website: Update on the status of C-IRG-related public complaints and reviews (as of September 30, 2024).
The C-IRG is the controversial Community-Industry Response Group of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The CRCC “Update” includes a table on the “Breakdown of Public Complaints Received” on complaints received in relation to RCMP C-IRG “enforcement operations” on Wet’suwet’en territory (the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline), the Fairy Creek watershed (Tea-Jones Group logging of old-growth forest), and Argenta-Johnson’s Landing (Cooper Creek Cedar logging of forested mountainside).
Focusing on public complaints about the C-IRG on Wet’suwet’en territory, the chart reveals that only 5 of the 302 complaints received were accepted.
Those 5 complaints appear to have contained 35 allegations relating to Neglect of Duty (12), Oppressive Conduct (7), Mishandling of Property (5), Improper Attitude (4) Improper Use of Force (3) and Irregularity in Procedure (3).
Then in the “Breakdown of Allegation Outcomes” chart, it says that 22 of the 35 allegations of complaints about C-IRG actions on Wet’suwet’en territory were investigated by the RCMP. The next chart provides the “breakdown” that 0 of the 22 allegations were supported following a formal investigation.
Another chart then shows that the CRCC received 1 request for a review of a complaint relating to Wet’suwet’en territory.
From another chart, it would appear that the CRCC made 15 recommendations related to that 1 complaint reviewed on Wet’suwet’en territory. It then notes that 8 of those recommendations were supported by the RCMP, 4 were partially supported, and 3 were not supported.
Then on another webpage that has a search function, the CRCC provides a summary of the reviewed public complaints.
There one can find a 6-page “Final Report” on “RCMP members enforcing the Coastal GasLink injunction against Indigenous land protests unreasonably prevented a journalist from entering a large exclusion zone, threatened him with arrest without grounds, and detained him without authority (24-207)”.
The complaint specifies: “The media editor complained that the RCMP’s use of access control points and exclusion zones interfered with the reporter’s access to the area, violating the reporter’s individual constitutional rights as well as the constitutionally protected freedom of the press. The editor also complained that the RCMP arbitrarily detained the reporter, interfering with his ability to cover the story.”
The ”RCMP’s investigation and decision” section of this final report by the CRCC (the Commission) notes: “The RCMP investigated the allegation and determined that the restrictions on journalists were within the authority of the police, and that they did not unreasonably interfere with the reporter’s ability to take photographs or report on the situation. The Commission was asked to review the matter.”
The ”Commission’s review” notes: “The reporter travelled to the first of the Wet’suwet’en protest camps. He walked five more kilometres to the next camp and stayed the night. He was awakened before 5 a.m. by news that the RCMP had moved in and made arrests at the first camp, including two journalists.”
Fast-forwarding to the conclusion, the final report says: “The RCMP Commissioner wrote that he could not fully support the Commission’s recommendation about a standardized national policy for accrediting media access, although he supported the intention behind the recommendation. The RCMP Commissioner did not believe that this would be feasible for unplanned events. He acknowledged that there was little clarity or consistency in how the reporter was treated in this case. He stated that, as a result, he would direct RCMP policy centres to study the creation a standard method of accrediting journalists that would be useful for both planned and unplanned events.”
“The Commission welcomed the RCMP Commissioner’s response.”
CRCC systemic investigation
The CRCC notes: “The CRCC’s systemic investigation [of the RCMP C-IRG] does not replace the public complaint and review processes. These processes are separate, though findings and outcomes from one process may inform the other.”
That systemic investigation was announced 23 months ago on March 9, 2023. On June 7, 2023, about four months into the investigation, the CRCC told Peace Brigades International-Canada: “The CRCC strives to complete its systemic investigations within 12-18 months; however, the timely provision of requested information and access to RCMP personnel will largely determine when the CRCC’s report will be available.”
Photo: On March 22, 2023, PBI-Canada hand-delivered to the CRCC office in Ottawa this letter calling for the suspension of the C-IRG during the CRCC systemic investigation.
As the 24-month mark now approaches we continue to wait for the conclusion of that investigation or at least an “investigation update” (the last update provided by the CRCC was 14 months ago on November 23, 2023).
Abuse of process court decision, February 18
In the meantime, an abuse of process allegation was launched by three Indigenous land defenders arrested by the C-IRG on Wet’suwet’en territory on November 19, 2021. Court hearings took place in Smithers, British Columbia in January, September, November and December 2024. Justice Michael Tammen of the B.C .Supreme Court will read his decision on this application this coming February 18.
Image by Yintah Access.
PRGT pipeline decision could come in March
Pipeline Technology Journal reports that a BC government decision on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline “is expected by March 2025”. That pipeline would cross Gitxsan, Gitanyow and Nisg̱a’a territories.
On August 22, 2024, Gitanyow land defenders established a blockade on a forest service road to stop trucks working on this project.
Gitanyow Hereditary Chief Gamlakyeltxw has commented: “We saw years and years of fighting [on Wet’suwet’en territory], the [RCMP C-IRG] police violence, and even the company [TC Energy/Coastal GasLink] with harassment and surveillance of land defenders. We don’t want none of that to happen here.”
On January 21 of this year, Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs met with BC government cabinet ministers to ask for “an immediate independent review” of the “militarized RCMP unit” that “terrorizes land defenders” and to say that they “want the militarized RCMP CRU [the rebranded name for the C-IRG] to be dissolved”.
We continue to follow this situation.
Still from RCMP video of arrest of Sleydo’ on Wet’suwet’en territory, November 19, 2021.
Photo: PBI-Canada was on Wet’suwet’en territory on Saturday November 20, 2021, the day after eleven people (land defenders and journalists) were arrested at Coyote Camp at the 63-kilometre mark on the Morice River Service Road).
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