The government leader was answering questions from reporters in Winnipeg on Friday about a call by some First Nations leaders to Ottawa to ensure the next person to head the RCMP is Indigenous.

” I think it’s a great idea to see more and more indigenous leadership in the country’s systems and institutions. We should definitely focus on more diversity. »

Still, Trudeau said the next person to fill the role of RCMP commissioner will be selected through an independent process, details of which have yet to be announced.

We will always strive to ensure that the diversity of Canada as a whole and the representation of Indigenous people are part of our considerations.

Mr. Trudeau has made reconciliation one of his top priorities since taking office in 2015. As well as spending billions on various initiatives, the prime minister appointed the first indigenous governor-general in the person of Inuk leader Mary Simon.

Who will replace Brenda Lucki?

His firm also confirmed Michelle O’Bonsawin, an Abenaki member of the Odanak community, as Canada’s first indigenous justice.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki will retire this month, just before the end of her five-year term.

Appointed in April 2018, she led the federal police force through a chaotic few years that included the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history, as well as growing calls for the defunding of the police and allegations of systemic racism within the RCMP.

With her appointment, Ms. Lucki became the first woman to hold these positions on a permanent basis.

The police force, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in May, has been criticized for its historical and current ties with indigenous people. The RCMP, through contractual agreements with the provinces and territories, is the primary police force for many First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

Officials have faced allegations that they failed to properly investigate or take seriously the disappearances and deaths of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

In 2018, Ms Lucki apologized to the families of some of the women who became part of an investigation into the matter, saying so For many of you, the RCMP has fallen short during these dire times.

In a series of media interviews in June 2020, Ms Lucki claimed she struggled with the definition of systemic racism, earning her fierce criticism from Indigenous leaders, who pointed out that she had promised to improve relations with her communities.

She then expressed in a written statement that she should have been more self-aware that there is systemic racism within the ranks of the RCMP.

On Friday, Trudeau stressed that electing an Indigenous officer to head the RCMP would not solve the federal police’s problems.

We need to understand that it’s not just about putting the right person at the helm of an organization to achieve the systemic change needed, he said. A colossal work needs to be done on the structures within our institutions, including the RCMP, to ensure that the entire force, the entire system, fully respects indigenous peoples and diversity.

An internal report on the RCMP’s progress on reconciliation, released in 2022, highlighted its difficulties in recruiting and retaining Indigenous members in its ranks.

The document showed that the percentage of indigenous people had fallen from 8% in 2010 to 7% in 2020.