Parliamentary Committee Notes: March 2024 Auditor General’s Report on the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program

Issue:

The Auditor General tabled a report on the performance audit of the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) on 19 March, 2024 which is critical of Public Safety Canada’s management of the program.

Proposed response:

• We thank the Auditor General of Canada for her work, and we agree with the recommendations presented in her performance audit report.
• We have already taken steps to address the recommendations of the audit report and the Auditor General’s report validates these efforts.
• For instance:
  • The co-development of legislation which would recognize First Nations police services as essential services continues to advance.
  • PS has aligned the FNIPP, Indigenous engagement and policy analysis related to Indigenous considerations into a single team to create more culturally responsive, coherent and efficient program delivery. In 2024-25, PS will engage with external partners to develop and implement a program improvement action plan for the FNIPP.
  • PS will continue to work with provinces and territories, the RCMP and First Nations to identify improvements to program governance with a view to delivering funding faster, while respecting the cost-share ratio.
  • The RCMP will also continue to work with communities to make community-specific cultural awareness part of its community onboarding package for regular members, which will include local cultural events requiring continuous participation and engagement.
  • And PS will revisit the program management relationship with the RCMP to integrate officer availability in program management decisions.
• We recognize that there are longstanding issues in the administration of this program and we are committed to working with First Nations, Inuit, and provinces, territories, which have jurisdiction over policing.  
• The audit findings come at an important juncture of Public Safety Canada’s efforts to modernize its programming for Indigenous people and the report will help ensure that the Department improves the delivery and impact of the FNIPP, including through measurable results.
• A well-funded, culturally sensitive and respectful police service is essential for community safety and well-being. This will further address legal risk and allow for meaningful negotiation
• We are committed to continuing to work in good faith with Indigenous partners, organizations and communities to improve Indigenous community safety.
• Our approach will continue to be guided by a spirit of partnership with provinces and territories and Indigenous communities that respects the constitutional division of powers which governs policing services in Canada.

Background:

March 2024 Auditor General Report’s on the FNIPP 

The Auditor General tabled a report on the FNIPP in March 2024 which is critical of PS’s management of the program.

The FNIPP supports policing services that are professional, dedicated, and culturally responsive to the communities they serve. The federal government is a funding partner with provinces and territories, which have jurisdiction over operational policing requirements and priorities. FNIPP provides funding to share the costs of policing in First Nations and Inuit communities with provinces and territories in accordance with a 52% federal and 48% provincial/territorial funding ratio. In addition to funding self-administered First Nation and Inuit police services, FNIPP also supports Community Tripartite Agreements (CTA) where a dedicated group of officers from the RCMP provides policing services to a First Nation or Inuit community.

This audit examined:

• whether PS under the FNIPP worked in partnership with Indigenous communities to provide equitable access to police services that are tailored to the needs of communities; and
• whether the RCMP under the FNIPP worked in partnership with Indigenous communities to deliver dedicated and tailored police services that supplement the services provided to provinces and territories under police service agreements.

The audit findings are as follows:

Findings related to PS

• Poor financial management oversight
• Lack of systemic approach for engagement and partnership with communities and
• for allocation of funding
• Limited expansion of the program

Findings related to RCMP

• Insufficient number of RCMP officers dedicated to communities
• No requirement for culturally specific training for RCMP officers assigned to
• positions within the FNIPP to understand the culture of the community being
• served
• Inconsistent implementation and monitoring of policing services to promote
• partnerships with communities

Findings related to PS and RCMP

• Lack of information on program effectiveness

PS is working actively with various partners to strengthen federal funding supports for safer Indigenous communities in a manner that respects the jurisdiction of provinces and territories over policing. The audit findings will inform PS’s ongoing collaboration and partnership with provinces and territories, law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP, as well as First Nations and Inuit communities, as we work together to strengthen the strategic focus and measurable impact of FNIPP initiatives.

Date modified:

2024-08-07