Justin Trudeau Promised To Overhaul RCMP Training To Deal With Racism

Its time for change. That's what Justin Trudeau promised when it comes to addressing inequality in our country. For months there have been discussions surrounding systemic racism in Canada, and it appears the government might be ready to address it in concrete ways. 

In a speech from the throne, the Liberal government promised Canadians they will take a second dive into addressing the issue.

This new approach includes pushing further on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and reforming the RCMP, all in a bid to look into inequities that exist in the criminal justice system.

To avoid empty promises, the government said they plan to not only introduce legislation but make real investments on sentencing as well as rehabilitation for Canadians who fall through the cracks.

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"Canadians must have the confidence that the justice system is there to protect them, not to harm them," Governor General Julie Payette said Wednesday during the speech.

"Black Canadians and Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. That has to change."

As a result, the government promised to address standards around the use of force and move forward on enhanced civilian oversight in law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP.

They promised to modernize training for police forces, especially in regard to the use of force. 

They also said they will shift toward community-led policing in hopes that things will change in Canada.

Politicians have come under fire in the past when it comes to addressing this problem which the Premiers could not name. In June, they put out a joint statement but couldn't agree that racism was systemic here. 

This has held true for Canadian police forces too, who have been criticized in the past for using un-warranted force on civilians.

The RCMP commissioner had also denied that systemic racism exists in their force, but Justin Trudeau disputed that saying "Systemic racism is an issue right across the country, in all our institutions including in all our police forces, including in the RCMP."