Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not commit to holding a national inquiry on systemic racism in policing Thursday morning even as he acknowledged the pain of First Nations mothers who have had to bury their children after an interaction with police.
Trudeau was addressing the Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa two days after the chiefs passed a resolution calling for an inquiry into policing and police-related deaths.
That resolution came after nine First Nations people were killed in less than four weeks in August and September.
Three women whose sons and daughters died during or after an interaction with police made an emotional plea for the government to reform the RCMP.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for four-and-a-half years,” said Martha Martin, whose son and daughter died in 2020 after interactions …