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Today marks the commencement of a series of exclusive reports shedding light on a far-reaching RCMP initiative involving surveillance, disruption, and infiltration of Indigenous organizations from 1968 to 1982.
Although Indigenous leaders across Canada had long harbored suspicions, the extent of the spy program had been concealed by layers of government confidentiality until now.
Declassified documents reveal a substantial dossier of 6,000 pages of surveillance reports compiled by the RCMP’s “Racial Intelligence Section” within the Security Service at that time.
The sheer magnitude of the operation is astounding, with 150 police officers monitoring hundreds of Indigenous individuals and 30 Indigenous groups, predominantly throughout the 1970s. The RCMP employed various tactics such as informant payments, physical surveillance, covert filming, tracking travel, media monitoring, and intelligence dossier compilation.
For the first time, the documents confirm the use of covert electronic surveillance and wiretapping by the RCMP to monitor the telephones at the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB) offices in Ottawa during the mid-1970s.
The Investigation:
The investigation, led by reporter Brett Forester and the CBC Indigenous team, spanned several years. In 2022, Forester initiated inquiries into RCMP files on the NIB. Despite resistance from Libraries and Archives Canada, who cited the need to consult with CSIS to prevent potential national security breaches, the CBC persisted.
Following an appeal to the Office of the Information Commissioner, which ruled in favor of CBC, the matter was referred for judicial review by the federal court due to the intervention of the minister of Canadian Heritage. Subsequently, after challenging the government’s stance that releasing the 50-year-old RCMP records posed current national security risks, redacted documents were slowly provided to CBC four years after the initial request.
This persistent pursuit of information aligns with the CBC’s commitment to comprehensive investigative journalism, particularly in highlighting the histories of injustices faced by Indigenous communities in Canada.
The forthcoming stories, crafted by CBC Indigenous in collaboration with the national investigative team, have been meticulously analyzed after months of deciphering and decoding the cryptic language within the documents.
Key Points:
In the context of the time period following the 1970 October Crisis, the RCMP, under pressure from the government of Pierre Trudeau, intensified efforts to monitor and expose subversive movements within Canada.
The fear within the RCMP that Indigenous self-determination and activism posed a threat to national security led to widespread surveillance and monitoring of legitimate democratic movements.
The documents, characterized by racist and paternalistic language of that era, shed light on a tumultuous chapter in living memory rather than ancient history, with implications for the present day.
The series features insights from influential leaders and experts, including reactions from prominent figures such as Georges Erasmus, Gloria George, and Stephen Kakfwi, providing a deeper understanding of the historic significance of the documents.
The stories also explore whether surveillance persisted post the disbandment of the RCMP Security Service and the establishment of CSIS as Canada’s new civilian intelligence agency.
While informant identities in the obtained documents were redacted, interviewees believe they can identify some individuals. Notably, Doreen Manuel’s poignant narrative highlights the impact of informants betraying her father, George Manuel, a revered NIB president.
As we anticipate a robust public discourse following the reporting on these pivotal historical records, the series aims to stimulate dialogue and promote truth and reconciliation.