Reports of RCMP snipers dispatched to Wet'suwet'en blockade 'concerning,' says Indigenous Services minister

The Indigenous Services minister is calling for a reviewof how RCMPresources are deployed in "sensitive"conflicts over Indigenous land, after a report surfaced saying police were prepared to use snipers onWet'suwet'en Nation protesters blockading a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C.

In late 2018, Wet'suwet'enmembers set upcheckpoints on a remote stretch of forest service road and a bridge, preventing people working on a pipeline project from accessing their traditionalterritory, which sits about 300 kilometres west of Prince George, B.C.The nation had previously set up an earlier checkpoint at a different location on the territory in 2009.

More than a dozen people were arrested during the conflict on Jan. 7. 2019.

On Friday,the U.K. newspaper the Guardianpublished notes from what was described as an RCMP strategy session,statingthat RCMP argued for "lethal overwatch" of the site and officers were instructed to use "as much violence toward the gate as you want" in order to remove a roadblock erected by protesters.

CBC News has not seen the documents referred to in the Guardian's report.

"There are a number of very deeply concerning words, phrasesand terms used toa situation that is immensely delicate," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Friday. "This is something that we need to revise as a government and take a look at that, because the terminology is entirely unacceptable."

The RCMP falls under federal jurisdiction.Miller saidpolice deployment tactics need to be reviewed "in these very, very sensitive situations."

Ron Mitchell, also known asWet'suwet'anhereditarychief Hagwilnegh, says he was alarmed by the report. He recalls meeting with the RCMP'sIndigenous liaison during the protests.

"I was shocked," he told CBC News. "[The RCMP] assured us that they were there to protect everyone, including us. That was the message we received from them."

Mitchell is calling on RCMP officials to address the matter directly withWet'suwet'en members.

"The question that comes to mind is, who are the RCMP working for?" he added. "They weren't nice to our people, especially the elders."

It's a sentiment echoed by Martin Peters, a lawyer representing protesters arrested at the blockade.

Peters said the RCMPacted as "security guards" forCoastal GasLink, the company behind the pipeline.

"They seem to be acting at the beck and call of this private corporation," he said.

However, Peters said officers "conducted themselves fairlyadmirably" during the arrests.

"They had people screaming and yelling for hours and they did not rise to the bait," he said. "[They] maintained their composure and did their job."

Molly Wickham, a spokesperson for the protesters who was arrested at the site back in January, said in a written statement that the facts reported by theGuardian "reveal the reality of the relationship between Indigenous Peoples protecting our lands and RCMP."

"Here we are, nearly 2020 and we are still being threatened with violence, death, and the removal of our children for simply existing on our lands and following our laws," she wrote in part.

WATCH | RCMP make arrests at the camp:

RCMP make first arrests at Gidimt'en camp

6 years ago

Duration 1:42

RCMP officers climb over a barricade and start making arrests to enforce the Coastal GasLink injunction at the Gidimt'en camp in northern B.C. on Jan. 7, 2019.

Police denied documents

RCMP have not verified the documents that have been referred to in the Guardian report. A spokesperson said they were denied a request to review them.

"We have not had the opportunity to determine in what context any of the alleged statements may have been made or by whom," saidRCMPSgt. Janelle Shoihetin a statement.

"There are a number of terms referenced in the article that are not generally used by the RCMP during operational planning and others that may be used, but in our opinion have been taken out of context both of which are concerning," she said.

In particular, police said "lethal overwatch" does not necessarily imply that police were prepared to use snipers on protesters, noting thatthe practice is often used atdemonstrations or community parades to ensure public safety.

"Police officerswho occupy the position of lethal overwatch are tasked with observing, while other police officersare engaged in other duties which occupy attention," saidShoihet.

Police were ordered to enforce the site after the B.C. Supreme Court issued aninjunction order against people interfering with the pipeline.

B.C.'s public safety ministry would not comment on the incident.