Quebec Indigenous group says CAQ MNA who dismissed alleged police abuse must resign

MONTREAL – The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador wants a member of Quebec’s governing Coalition Avenir Quebec party to resign after he suggested numerous Indigenous women lied about being sexually assaulted by police officers.

Pierre Dufour was speaking about the issue of homelessness at a city council meeting last week in Val d’Or, Que., a city in his riding about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

After discussing the programs offered by the provincial government, Dufour told the council that a 2015 investigation by Radio-Canada, which looked into physical and sexual assaults of Indigenous women in the community by police, had contributed to the problem.

Dufour said the television documentary was full of “lies” and criticized the conclusions of a public inquiry called following the broadcast.

Dufour apologized for the comments on his Facebook page.

But Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, says its clear Dufour doesn’t understand the situation and his apology isn’t enough.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2023.

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