(Toronto, Ont. – March 26, 2026) Chiefs of Ontario is demanding an apology and federal action on widespread spying on First Nations by police and security forces in Canada.

Earlier this week, CBC Indigenous revealed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police spent decades spying on First Nations leaders and organizations whose only crime was advocating for their inherent rights and sovereignty.

Chiefs of Ontario is calling for an impartial, First-Nations led federal inquiry into state-sponsored spying on First Nations groups to understand why the policy was implemented, which organizations were involved and to what extent.

Security and policing organizations infiltrated organizations like the National Indian Brother Hood (now known as the Assembly of First Nations) through clandestine programs in a bid to surveil First Nations advocates and disrupt their work.

Hundreds of First Nations people and at least 30 legitimate organizations were subjected to this covert spying program, according to CBC.

Police surveilled offices, homes, airports and other meeting places, and used informants and wiretaps to monitor many First Nations people and organizations, not just suspected radicals.

“This reporting is a damning reflection on Canada’s history of subterfuge against our people and our organizations who only want to ensure that our rights and sovereignty are respected, and to work towards a prosperous and health future for First Nations and all Canadians,” said Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict. “Spying is not what partners do to each other. It undermines our efforts to build strong and meaningful relationships with the Crown and its representatives. We need dialogue and collaboration, not cloaks and daggers or espionage.”

CBC also revealed this week that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was actively investigating the Ipperwash land dispute in Kettle and Stony Point First Nation before the Ontario Provincial Police shot and killed Dudley George in 1995. While First Nations have long suspected the spy agencies involvement in the tragic events at Ipperwash, this is the first time it has been confirmed.

Documents also reveal that CSIS may have been spreading false information about protestors, including allegations that unarmed land defenders had weapons.

“This is likely just scratching the surface. That’s why we need a full, transparent and impartial investigation into all covert actions and programs taken by the Canadian state and its police forces against our people. We deserve to know why these policies were implemented, what the information was used for and if it’s still being used,” said Regional Chief Benedict.

“There must be oversight over police and security forces in Canada. And First Nations must have a voice in that oversight. Bill C-20 received royal assent in 2024 and created the Public Complaints and Review Commission to oversee the RCMP and the CBSA, replacing the RCMP’s Civilian Review and Complaints Commission. But that body has not yet been staffed,” said Regional Chief Benedict. “This new reporting adds greater urgency to creating these oversight bodies.”

The RCMP’s sweeping program saw officers utilizing government and private records and even liaising with the FBI. It led to widespread paranoia and distrust within First Nations movements, with some experts calling the spying a policy of divide and conquer.

“There must concrete consequences and action for the state’s covert activities against our people so that those who have been affected can find justice and so that it never happens again,” said Regional Chief Benedict. “We cannot turn the page on this dark history until we confront it head on.”

Commissions of Inquiry are established by the cabinet and conducted experts or judges and have subpoena power to compel witness testimony and collect evidence. The inquiries are public and, while their findings and recommendations are not binding on the government, they are an important tool for public understanding and accountability.

Previous inquiries include the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

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The Chiefs of Ontario supports all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction, and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, X, Instagram, or LinkedIn @ChiefsOfOntario

Media Contact:

Isak Vaillancourt
Communications Manager
Chiefs of Ontario
Telephone: 416-819-8184
Email: isak.vaillancourt@coo.org

Declan Keogh
Strategic Advocacy Manager
Chiefs of Ontario
Telephone: 514-591-5375
Email: declan.keogh@coo.org