RCMP Watch

Linda Nguyen (Ottawa Citizen) - The RCMP officer who pepper-sprayed a group of aboriginals, including a seven-month-old baby, celebrating a soccer game victory on a Sechelt, B.C., reserve last July has been cleared of wrongdoing, an internal investigation concluded.

First Nations Summit Grand Chief Edward John, an independent observer during the investigation into the July 2, 2007, incident, confirmed that the 89-page report absolved the RCMP of four allegations — including improper use of force, improper attitude, irregularity in procedure and a driving irregularity.

The issue came out in a public complaint launched by the Sechelt First Nation band following an incident involving pepper spray being released into a crowd that included children and a baby in the back of a pickup truck.

The police detachment have since issued a written apology for the incident.

Sechelt is about 70 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

Chief John, along with Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, had been asked to sit in on the RCMP investigative hearings that began last fall.

The two were asked by the independent Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP as part of a pilot project to abolish concerns over unfair police investigations.

Chief John said yesterday he and Phillip were both disappointed in how limited their roles were in the proceedings.

“We didn’t know that we weren’t allowed to ask questions during the interviews,” he said.

Chief John said the report’s conclusions were expected, considering it is the RCMP that essentially investigated itself.

“This was a big black eye to the police, the way it was handled,” he said.

The RCMP would not comment on the case yesterday.