Alberta RCMP commissioner walks back comments denying systemic racism in policing

Alta. RCMP commander admits systemic racism present A high ranking Alberta RCMP commander is now admitting that systemic racism is present in the force. Dan Grummett has the story.

EDMONTON — Contradicting his comments earlier this week, Alberta RCMP's deputy commissioner says after reflecting he does now believe systemic racism exists within police forces including the RCMP.

Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki was asked Monday about racism in policing amid ongoing protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

"I don’t believe racism is systemic in policing in Canada, I don’t believe it’s systemic in policing in Alberta,” Zablocki said Monday.

His comments prompted widespread debate as other police chiefs, including Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee, acknowledged that systemic racism is an issue in policing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also weighed in Friday, saying: "Systemic racism is an issue right across the country, in all our institutions, including in all our police forces, including in the RCMP."

On Friday, Zablocki said since making his comments he's had conversations with community and Indigenous leaders that have centered on racism.

"It's been a week of reflecting, learning and understanding for me," he said. "I felt compelled to come out and express and communicate my feelings around this as soon as I could."

Though he had already acknowledged racism is found in all aspects of society, Zablocki said he did further reading on what systemic racism is after denying it was embedded in RCMP policies and procedures.

"I needed to acknowledge that and recognize that the RCMP, historically, we haven't done everything right. We've had bumps along the way."

Zablocki said the RCMP needs to "dig down" to ensure policies are inclusive and equitable, and apologized to any people of colour who felt his earlier comments minimized their lived experiences.

"I've also reflected on the fact that my perspective on systemic racism comes from a place of observation rather than experience," he said.

Earlier in the day, a group of Alberta criminal defence lawyers called for Zablocki's resignation over his earlier comments.

"He has lost any moral authority to be deputy commissioner," said Tom Engel, policing committee chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers' Association.

Assistant Commissioner John Ferguson, Criminal Operations Officer, was initially expected to speak about the violent arrest of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam after a video of the incident was released by Adam's lawyer Thursday night.

However, an updated news release later sent out by Alberta RCMP removed a sentence stating Ferguson would address Adam's arrest. Alberta RCMP has since confirmed it would be be speaking about the incident "given the sensitivities of the ASIRT investigation and the importance of not interfering in that process."

The nearly 12-minute video shows a heated Adam getting into a confrontation with police over an expired licence plate tag in the parking lot of a Fort McMurray casino. Watch the full video here.

The arrest ended with an officer appearing to charge Adam and tackle him to the ground before punching him in the head. In the final moments of the video, a bloodied and handcuffed Adam is seen being taken into the police vehicle.

Zablocki declined to comment directly on the matter when asked Friday, saying he did not want to impact the integrity of an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team investigation.

"We await the results," he said.