Proposed law would change some of the rules overseeing Manitoba police
The Manitoba government plans to bolster the civilian-led agency that investigates potential police wrongdoing, but is stopping short of requiring all officers to co-operate with probes.
A bill introduced in the legislature Monday would introduce fines and jail time for most officers who do not comply with "reasonable" requests from the Independent Investigation Unit. It would expand the range of people who can be investigated to include civilian employees of a police service.
The bill would also forbid the unit from hiring active police officers as investigators and create a director of Indigenous and community relations to build bridges with First Nations, Metis, Inuit and other communities.
"There are many changes in this bill that create more accountability requirements for police," Justice Minister Cameron Friesen said.
The bill stems from an independent review of the law governing police last fall and was originally scheduled to be debated last spring. But Friesen pulled the bill, citing a need for more consultation following a probe into the fatal police shooting of Eishia Hudson, an Indigenous teen in Winnipeg.
Hudson was shot after a chase in a stolen Jeep following an alleged robbery at a liquor store. At the time, Winnipeg police said Hudson was driving the Jeep when it ran into a police cruiser and a number of other cars.
The Independent Investigation Unit recommended against charging the officer, saying video taken by a driver stopped at a nearby traffic light showed officers were in danger of being hit by the vehicle. The unit said the officer who fired the shots declined to be interviewed but did volunteer his notes and a prepared statement.
Friesen's bill would require officers involved to co-operate with investigators unless they are the ones suspected of wrongdoing. He said the exemption is needed to comply with police contracts and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"We cannot simply override the protections that police officers have in their collective agreements. We can't override what the charter says about your right not to incriminate yourself," he said.
The Opposition New Democrats said there should be a way to ensure more police co-operate.
"At the end of the day, we also have to ensure that investigations are thorough and robust," NDP justice critic Nahanni Fontaine said.
"And some would submit that ... an officer who's involved in the particular complaint or investigation should be interviewed."
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said it had yet to review the bill, but was pleased with the amount of consultation the Progressive Conservative government had engaged in.
"We actually had some of our best and brightest working alongside the minister and his staff," assembly Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.