Prince Albert Police Service Women’s Commission looks for improvements within law enforcement

A review was done by the Prince Albert Police Service’s (PAPS) Women’s Commission to see how the Saskatchewan police service measured up to a report about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Calls to Justice has 231 calls for justice directed at different governments, institutions, social service providers and industries, with a call for police agencies to acknowledge historical practices that have harmed Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

It also calls for police to build relationships based on that understanding and awareness.

The Women’s Commission was created in 2022 and is chaired by Elder Liz Settee and PAPS Chaplain Nora Vedress. It also has local leaders that specialize in addictions, mental health, gender and sexual diversity, integrity management, Indigenous tradition and support for victims of trauma and violence.

The commission recognized a list of things that PAPS is doing well, but acknowledged that hate crimes and violence are still prevalent within the community.

“According to statistics on hate crimes and violence, 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians continue to face harassment and physical attacks and represent the third largest category after race and religion,” Jennifer Lenny, a member of the commission said.

“Hate crimes against gender identity are rising. As a member of the Prince Albert Police Services Women’s Commission, I hope to bring a voice for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and to continue to help to build positive relationships between the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the police.”

Some of the efforts listed by PAPS to build awareness and support truth and reconciliation include mentoring partnerships with the Prince Albert Grand Council and Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, opportunities for members to take Cree language classes and participation at community events like the annual Pride parade, Red Dress Day and the Heart of the Youth Powwow.

PAPS Chief Jonathan Bergen said the commission’s purpose is to create trust within the community by empowering change.

“I was really thrilled to see us come back and talk about the calls to justice, and take a really deep dive to what the calls to justice are specific to policing, and be able to talk about where we are achieving, but also where we need to grow,” Bergen said.

He said this commission brings in a women’s perspective in an area where they are behind the national average.

Bergen noted about 17 per cent of the PAPS’s workforce is women, while the national average is about 20 per cent.

“It was encouraging to see some of our stats are leading the nation in a few things, and in other places we know we have work to do, and that’s why we are here,” Vedress said.

She added that the Women’s Commission isn’t afraid to push for change.