The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is demanding transparency and accountability concerning the deaths of two Indigenous women at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert.
On January 3, authorities put out a statement saying a 23-year-old woman on remand was found unresponsive in a common area of Pine Grove shortly before 1 PM, and later died at Victoria Hospital. Not even a month after on February 1, another female inmate was found unresponsive on a living unit, the 24-year-old woman also passed away at Victoria Hospital.
On January 11, after the first in-custody death Prince Albert Grand Council put out a statement, with Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte expressing his frustration and concern. “Only a prompt and thorough investigation, along with improved communication protocols, can prevent such failures in the future,” Hardlotte stated.
FSIN Vice Chief Aly Bear stated in a press release: “It’s a disgrace that no government official or member of the investigating agency, the Prince Albert Police Service, would communicate in a meaningful way with local First Nations Leadership, especially given the recent history of public mistrust and a lack of transparency regarding in-custody deaths in Prince Albert.”
Vice Chief Bear also refers to legal imperatives that were outlined within TRC and MMIWG. “Corrections are responsible for the safety of our vulnerable women who do not have the freedom to seek care when needed. We often hear stories of women who are incarcerated who ask for medical care but are denied access to medical attention as staff and facilities do not care or risk-manage their safety. We are concerned that this could be a factor surrounding these two tragedies, and in the absence of meaningful communication and transparency, there will be significant public mistrust,” said Bear.
FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron explained he is outraged by the loss of the two young women who were in care of corrections and stands with the demands of PAGC and the victims’ families when they call for answers concerning the deaths. “Transparency and accountability are important for public trust; we join the calls for a public inquiry into these tragic deaths. A public inquiry will determine if these deaths were avoidable; we want to know if corrections were negligent. We want to know if the facilities have the tools and resources required to guarantee the safety of our people in custody,” he said.
Cameron further stated that the disrespect for local officials in their absence of responsive and proactive communication with First Nations Leadership is not surprising, “it is common for police and corrections to care so little for First Nations that they do not believe our leadership or grieving families, or the public for that matter, are in the ‘need to know’ category,” he explained.
The FSIN says they will work with the victims’ families and PAGC to try and get clarity concerning the deaths of the two in-custody women and that the FSIN will work towards addressing the overrepresentation of First Nations in custody within the province.