Abolish C-IRG: Send a message to Marco Mendicino

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goal: 1,500

This Wednesday, Leadnow joined a coalition of over 50 organizations and impacted communities in releasing a collective response to the massive number of incidents of violence, assault, unlawful conduct, and racism of the C-IRG police unit in Canada. Here is an excerpt from the Open Letter:

The Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) was formed by the RCMP in 2017 in response to anticipated Indigenous resistance to industrial resource operations in the province of British Columbia (BC), specifically the Coastal Gaslink and Trans Mountain pipelines.

Over the years, activists have filed hundreds of individual complaints and several collective complaints¹ to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC). In addition, journalists at Fairy Creek² and on Wet'suwet'en³ territories have brought lawsuits against the C-IRG, land defenders at Gidimt'en have brought civil claims⁴ and sought a stay of proceedings⁵ for Charter violations, activists at Fairy Creek challenged an injunction⁶ on the grounds that C-IRG activity brings the administration of justice into disrepute and launched a civil class-action⁷ alleging systemic Charter violations.

Given the serious nature of the allegations against C-IRG, we call on Canada, BC, and the RCMP E-Division command to immediately suspend all C-IRG duties and deployment.

Will you help ramp up the pressure? Send a message to Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino now.

If you'd like to send a message to other powerful decision-makers, you can do so at these links:
Email BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth: https://act.leadnow.ca/Abolish-CIRG-Farnworth/
Email Interim RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme: https://act.leadnow.ca/Abolish-CIRG-Duheme/

Email Marco Mendicino

Subject

Dear Minister Mendicino:

I am writing in support of a recent coalition that has formed to demand the abolition of the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) unit of the RCMP. I support their key demand to immediately suspend and abolish this force, whose unlawful conduct serves only the interests of fossil fuel, forestry, and hydro industries while perpetuating unnecessary violence, harassment, and criminalization of Indigenous communities.

As you know, C-IRG is currently undergoing a systemic review after hundreds of individual complaints and several collective complaints have been filed to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC). These complaints include allegations of excessive force, illegal tactics, unprofessional behaviour, racism, discrimination and charter violations – all of which are being allowed to continue, under your watch, while the CRCC review is carried out.

Due to the serious nature of the allegations against C-IRG, I am calling on the Ministry of Public Safety to intervene by immediately suspending the C-IRG unit. The RCMP is under your direction. Given the federal government’s commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and its lawful obligations to protect Section 35(1) Aboriginal constitutional rights, it is your duty to direct the RCMP to suspend all C-IRG duties and deployment.

The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has issued three rebukes against the government of Canada, saying that your government has "escalated their use of force, surveillance, and criminalization of land defenders to intimidate, remove and forcibly evict Secwepemc and Wet'suwet'en Nations from their traditional lands.” The latest of these letters specifically condemns the conduct of C-IRG. Your government has yet to respond.

It is your role, and the role of the Ministry of Public Safety, to provide oversight and accountability for the RCMP. I stand with the coalition to demand an immediate suspension of C-IRG activity, at minimum while they are under systemic review by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission.

Sincerely,

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Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino

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Abolish C-IRG: Send a message to Marco Mendicino

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