Kativik Regional Government demands police watchdog reform after Inuk man killed by police

(Facebook/Mark R Annanack)

As the Kangiqsualujjuaq community is mourning the death of Mark Annanack in a police intervention Monday night, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) is demanding Quebec’s police watchdog be reformed.

Quebec’s police watchdog (BEI) is investigating the incident after Annanack was pepper-sprayed, tasered and shot by police officers before being pronounced dead in hospital.

Protesters gathered by the Nunavik Police Service (NPS) station in Kangiqsualujjuaq, a remote Inuit village in northern Quebec, to demand justice Friday afternoon.

Signs were made by community members saying, “don’t shoot” and “disarm NPS” for the protest.

Posts on social media about the man paint the portrait of a former first responder who struggled with addiction and depression.

Annanack is the second person to die in NPS interventions in six months.

In November, Joshua Papigatuk was shot and killed in a police intervention in Salluit, Que., prompting a wave of protests in Nunavik.

• READ MORE: Inuk man shot dead by police a victim of systemic racism: Crown-Indigenous minister

At the time, the KRG and NPS said they were working on police reforms to rebuild trust like having more officers from the community and various training, but that banning officers from carrying guns was out of the question.

The NPS said on Thursday that its officers were wearing body cameras and the footage was turned over to the BEI. Many in the community want that footage released to the public as well.

The KRG said Friday changes are needed in the BEI’s investigation process and is demanding the watchdog “drastically improve [its] transparency and responsiveness of Nunavik investigations.”

It specifically wants BEI investigators to hold public meetings with impacted communities to review investigation results, publish investigation findings in Inuktitut, and produce complete final reports within six months.

“The fatal shooting of one of our community members is a deep wound for the family and the community. We mourn the loss of this young man,” said KRG Chairperson Hilda Snowball in a news release.

“Two fatal shootings of our Nunavimmiut brothers in six months is two too many. We need answers soon to how these tragedies occur,” added vice chairperson Mary Arngaq.

Meanwhile, Makivvik, the political organization representing Inuit in Quebec said policing in the far north is “broken.”

“This latest tragedy is not isolated: it reflects a systemic failure in the way policing is delivered in Nunavik,” said Makivvik president Pita Aatami in a news release.

“Despite repeated warnings, commitments, and investigations, police interventions continue to fail our communities. We condemn this fatality, and we demand immediate and measurable accountability.”

Makivvik stressed that the BEI investigation shouldn’t delay other accountability actions and restructuring efforts.

“We cannot wait for another report while more lives are put at risk,” it said.

Makivvik has been working with the KRG since Papigatuk’s death to reform police practices and improve accountability.