Deputy Leader Mamakwa calls for immediate government action to support the mental health of First Nations police officers

QUEEN’S PARK— Ontario NDP Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister for Indigenous and Treaty Relations Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) denounces the unequal treatment of First Nations police officers in Ontario and calls for the government to take immediate action to better resource and support officers and police services under the Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement.

In the wake of a new report released by the Chiefs of Ontario in collaboration with police services under the Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement, Mamakwa points to their findings as clear evidence for how this government’s neglect is impacting the mental health of First Nations police officers.

“We have raised the topic of First Nations policing to the government countless times, but they continue to ignore the needs of First Nations police officers at the cost of their mental health," Mamakwa said.

“There is no question of whether the conditions First Nations police officers are expected to endure would ever be accepted as the norm for non-Indigenous police services in Ontario. This government would never passively allow officers to work alone in the communities they serve, especially while managing such complex social determinants of health.”

“The unique challenges faced by First Nations officers demand urgent and specific solutions. I call on the Premier and his Government to implement all the recommendations in this report without delay.”

Quick Facts:

• The Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement 1991-1996 (OFNPA) lays out the arrangements for on-reserve policing in Ontario. The 17 OFNPA services included in this report are governed by the First Nation governments and administered by the Indigenous Policing Bureau of the Ontario Provincial Police.
• The findings of the ‘Mental Health Review of the OFNPA Police Services’ report are based on surveys completed by 43 of the OFNPA’s 78 members, and discussions in which 32 individuals took part.
• Of the respondents, 74% said that they experienced a mental health issue while employed by an OFNPA service, and over a quarter had poor or very poor mental health at work in the past six months.
• The report found that the main causes of mental health challenges for OFNPA members were insufficient staffing levels, insufficient mental health and wellness support, employment uncertainty, limited opportunities for grown, and higher chances of trauma. The 14 recommendations put forward in the report respond to these specific issues.