The RCMP’s Unfinished History with First Nations

Video recorded at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation on July 27, 2026, shows an RCMP officer punching Rose Georgina Angus, an Indigenous woman, several times in the face while another officer uses a Taser against her. The RCMP says Angus punched two officers and resisted arrest. She faces six charges, including two counts each of assaulting and resisting police, plus obstruction and cocaine possession. After reviewing footage from cameras worn by the officers, the RCMP initially concluded that its officers used reasonable force. Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team is now investigating the officers’ actions under its mandate to act in the public interest.The North West Mounted Police, the RCMP’s predecessor, was created in 1873 as Canada extended federal control across the Prairies. Federal policies forced many First Nations on the Prairies onto reserves, while Mounties enforced restrictions that confined them there. Under the pass system, First Nations people needed written permission from an Indian agent to leave a reserve. Government lawyers recognized the system as illegal by 1892, yet Mounties continued applying it into the 1930s.The force also enforced attendance at residential schools. RCMP members served as truant officers under the Indian Act, searched for children who fled, forcibly removed some children from their homes and fined parents for their children’s absence. About 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families through the system, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission described as cultural genocide. The RCMP’s own 2011 report concluded that its participation contributed to distrust among Indigenous people.My question for you is: Should an institution responsible for cultural genocide be policing First Nations communities in Canada?Let me know if you want me to make a separate video detailing the use of force training I received from the RCMP. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit quietcanines.substack.com/subscribe