Inuk man shot dead by police a victim of systemic racism: Crown-Indigenous minister

MONTREAL — The killing of an Inuk man by police earlier this week in Quebec’s Far North is an example of systemic racism, Canada’s minister for Crown-Indigenous relations said Thursday.

Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement the police shooting of Joshua Papigatuk is another example of how Indigenous Peoples are impacted by the justice system, adding that change must include Indigenous-led solutions.

“This tragedy underscores the deeply rooted systemic racism within our criminal justice system, which continues to disproportionately impact Indigenous Peoples,” Anandasangaree said. “Real, structural change is essential to address these injustices.”

He called the death a “painful and tragic loss” for Joshua’s family and the community of Nunavik — Quebec’s northernmost region — and “for so many who have experienced much-too-familiar heartbreak.”

Papigatuk was shot and killed and his twin brother Garnet was seriously injured after the Nunavik Police Service responded to a call about someone allegedly attempting to drive drunk early Monday morning in Salluit, about 1,850 kilometres north of Montreal. The shooting has led to shock, anger and calls for change in the Nunavik region.

Quebec’s police watchdog — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — has opened an investigation into the shooting, and after weather delays, investigators were able to land in the fly-in village on Thursday afternoon.

According to the police oversight agency, officers first used a stun gun and pepper spray to subdue the two men. An officer then opened fire and hit one of the brothers, the agency said, adding that when the second man continued to fight, the same officer shot him.

A number of videos purportedly of the event were filmed by bystanders and posted to social media. Neither the police nor the watchdog have said the brothers were armed.

Protest marches were held in northern communities this week, and more are planned across all 14 villages in Nunavik for Monday evening. A Facebook post for the protests on Monday says they are a “call for justice for Joshua, his family, and for all Inuit, past, present and future.”

Nunavik has a much higher rate of police-related deaths compared to other northern regions and territories in Canada. A report by CBC in 2020 found that between the years 2000 and 2018, 17 Inuit died in police custody or after an interaction with police in Nunavik; the average population for the region during that period was just over 11,000.

A spokesman for the Quebec Association of First Nations and Inuit Police Directors said police in Nunavik have taken steps to try to improve relations with the community. Officers have been equipped with body cameras since 2020 and police are required to complete a cultural competency course at Université Laval in Quebec City before they are deployed.

The police changed their name to Nunavik Police Service in 2021 from the Kativik Regional Police Force, explicitly removing “force” to eliminate reference to “aggressive or repressive actions.”

But Charles Magnan, with the association of First Nations and Inuit police directors, said there are numerous problems affecting all Indigenous police forces — they are often understaffed and under-equipped. In Nunavik, there has always been a problem with retaining staff.

“They have a lack of resources, whether it be human resources, equipment, financial,” Magnan said in an interview Thursday.

During a trip to the Far North in 2022, Magnan said he encountered officers who had moved north permanently and did their best to be involved in the community, where people “wear their heart on their sleeve.”

Recruiting Inuit officers has proven difficult because Nunavik residents are leery of law enforcement. Training is only available at Quebec’s police academy or at the RCMP Depot in Saskatchewan, and many Inuit don’t want to travel so far from home. Meanwhile, training in English in Quebec is limited. Inuit speak Inuktitut, while some speak English and few speak French.

“You can’t just turn someone into a police officer overnight, you need to have a specific training,” Magnan said.

The association said Monday’s shooting is a “very unfortunate event” and added it would wait to see what the watchdog agency says about what transpired.

“No police officer wakes up in the morning with the intent of experiencing that,” Magnan said.

“It’s very traumatic for the community as well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press