The Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick have renewed their call for an independent inquiry to review what they call “systemic bias” against Indigenous people in New Brunswick’s policing and criminal justice systems.
READ MORE: Chantel Moore’s death prompts renewed calls for New Brunswick police watchdog
They want the provincial government to appoint legal experts from Indigenous communities, who they say are the only people who can conduct an unbiased inquiry of such matters.
The call follows the death last week of Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman who was shot dead by police in Edmundston, N.B., after their officer allegedly encountered a woman with a knife during a wellness check.
The six New Brunswick chiefs say their people are over-policed, underserved as victims and more likely to be sentenced and jailed.
The shooting incident is being investigated by Quebec’s independent police investigation agency, known as the Bureau des enquetes independantes.
READ MORE: Indigenous woman from B.C. dead after police shooting in Edmundston, N.B.
A private funeral service for Moore is set for Thursday morning.