January 28, 2026 – For Immediate Release
Neqotkuk – Following the death of Bronson Paul at the hands of the RCMP on January 18th in Neqotkuk, community members and leadership are angry, scared and frustrated and trust with the RCMP has deteriorated. Bronson was murdered in his home by RCMP officers that shot him 5 times. All the while his children and their mother were in the next room. The trauma of this incident happening within their own home will live with them forever.
Neqotkuk Chief Ross Perley referred to the actions by the RCMP as “careless and wreckless.”
“The RCMP have a history of defending their own members and not being accountable or giving fair punishment for their actions. There is a systemic issue that is allowing them to kill Indigenous people too frequently,” said Chief Ross Perley. “This needs to be acknowledged not swept under the rug, and serious systemic change needs to happen within the RCMP from top to bottom.”
We have found that SiRT is not 100% completely independent as described, having seconded RCMP officers as part of their team. SiRT have put themselves in a perceived conflict of interest having MOUs with the RCMP. Additionally, we have found their investigative scope is too narrow to give thorough findings.
Our community needs safe and trustworthy community policing. Trust has been completely lost and it likely will never be regained under the status quo. We fear more violence, conflict and more dead Indigenous people in the future.
To avoid more deaths and build trust we submit the following 7 CALLS TO ACTION:
- Call on the RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme to acknowledge that they have a problem with systemic racism against Indigenous people and action an independent inquiry into addressing this issue.
- Call on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Minister and Attorney General of Canada Sean Fraser, Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Rebecca Alty to support the reform of Indigenous policing from RCMP to our own Indigenous police forces.
- Call on New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Rob McKee, Minister of Public Safety Robert Gauvin, Minister of Indigenous Affairs Keith Chiasson to support the reform of Indigenous policing from RCMP to our own Indigenous police services.
- Call on Federal and Provincial governments to fund and support the implementation of a Peacekeepers force on reserves that work with RCMP as first responders for wellness checks, patrols and occurrence reports.
- Call on Premier Susan Holt and Premier Tim Houston to reform SiRT to:
a) expand the scope of serious incident investigations.
b) add one Mi’kmaq nation member and one Wolastoqey nation member to the investigation team. - Call on the RCMP and all provincial police services to immediately implement mandatory, ongoing Indigenous cultural safety, anti-racism, and trauma-informed training for all current and new officers, that is developed, delivered, and evaluated by Indigenous-led organizations.
- Call for an immediate moratorium on RCMP-led wellness checks in all Indigenous communities unless accompanied by Indigenous peacekeepers or community-designated responders
Neqotkuk will not accept further delay, deflection, or symbolic gestures. Indigenous people’s lives depend on decisive action now. Accountability, transparency, and Indigenous-led solutions are not optional, they are urgently necessary to prevent more bloodshed and to protect future generations.