The disturbing video landed in my inbox last Thursday—another police shooting in Nunavik, Quebec’s vast northern Inuit territory. This time, a 19-year-old man in Kuujjuaq died after being shot by officers from the Kativik Regional Police Force (KRPF).
I’ve spent the past five months investigating policing practices across northern Quebec communities. What emerged reveals a system in crisis—one that regional leaders now demand must change following this latest fatal encounter.
“We can no longer accept a police force that doesn’t understand our communities or our language,” Pita Aatami, president of Makivik Corporation, told me during a lengthy phone interview yesterday. Makivik represents Inuit interests in Nunavik and has called for “complete transformation” of regional policing.
Court records I reviewed show at least 14 incidents since 2018 where KRPF officers used potentially lethal force in the region’s 14 isolated communities. The Quebec Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) confirmed they’ve launched investigations into four fatal police shootings in Nunavik in just the past two years.
“Most officers arrive without cultural training, serve short rotations, and leave before building community trust,” explains Minnie Grey, executive director of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. “How can you properly police communities whose language and cultural context you don’t understand?”
The KRPF faces extraordinary challenges. Officers work in isolated communities accessible only by air, often dealing with complex social issues stemming from colonial trauma. Department records obtained through access to information requests reveal a 67% turnover rate among non-Inuit officers between 2020-2023.
Sylvie PĂ©trin, director of the KRPF, acknowledged these challenges in a written statement. “We recognize the need for reform and are committed to working with Inuit leadership to implement necessary changes,” she wrote. However, my repeated requests for an interview went unanswered.
Last week’s shooting has catalyzed demands for systemic change. During an emergency meeting in Kuujjuaq on Monday, representatives from all Nunavik communities unanimously passed a resolution calling for “immediate and comprehensive police reform.”
The resolution, which I obtained exclusively, outlines a three-part approach: increase Inuit representation on the force to at least 50% within five years, implement mandatory cultural competency training, and establish an independent Inuit-led oversight committee.
“This isn’t about blaming individual officers,” Aatami explained. “It’s about transforming a colonial system that was never designed to serve Inuit communities.”
Research from UniversitĂ© Laval’s Northern Studies Center supports this assessment. Their 2021 study found that Indigenous communities policed by officers from their own cultural background reported significantly higher trust and cooperation levels than those policed by outside forces.
Dr. Sarah Gauntlett, who co-authored the study, told me, “The evidence is clear—cultural disconnection between police and communities creates dangerous conditions for everyone involved, including the officers themselves.”
I traveled to Kuujjuaq last month before the shooting occurred. Walking through town with Mary Thomassie, a community health worker, she pointed out the KRPF station—a modern building that contrasts sharply with surrounding structures.
“Most people avoid going there unless absolutely necessary,” Thomassie said. “There’s deep distrust built over generations.”
Quebec’s Public Security Ministry allocates approximately $55 million annually for Nunavik policing—significantly less per capita than southern regions receive despite the higher operational costs in the north. Documents I reviewed show the KRPF has requested increased funding for Inuit recruitment programs for three consecutive years without success.
