News Release 
November 19, 2024

FNLC Shocked by Horrendous Treatment of 16-Year-Old First Nations Girl at Guildford Town Centre

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is outraged by the mistreatment of a 16-year-old Cree girl by Paladin Security employees at the Guildford Town Centre on the unceded traditional territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo First Nations in Surrey, B.C.

The girl was shopping with her two non-Indigenous friends, when she was approached by mall security who suspected she had been shoplifting. Shortly after she was stopped, the girl was violently detained and restrained, clearly upsetting, humiliating and traumatising the victim, who was later released without charges.

This shocking and horrific behaviour is a result of the deep and ongoing systemic racism First Nation peoples, and particularly First Nations women, face across this country. This is further worsened by a severe lack of cultural competency amongst law enforcement officers and security personnel, and the failure of Canada to meet the minimum standards outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration). Violence against First Nations women, girls and two-spirit individuals continues to occur in our communities, and immediate action is needed to break this cycle.

“This is unacceptable treatment of a youth” shared B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee. “This ongoing cycle of violence and abuse is fueled by racist beliefs and ideas which portray Indigenous peoples as stereotypes which are removed from any semblance of reality. Too often this results in our most vulnerable members then facing violence and oppression of those who hold these beliefs.  First Nations keep demanding transformational and institutional change, including changes within the deeply flawed policing and education system which promotes these stereotypes, but all we see are nodding heads and token actions. Enough is enough! If we are to make any significant progress toward true reconciliation, we must shed old colonial beliefs and attitudes and come to terms with the full extent of the mistreatment of our people and hold those that perpetuate this mistreatment accountable.”

“Security personnel and policing services are not above the law and should never use racial profiling leading to violent and unjust detention of a profiled youth in a public space. This incident shows a disturbing reality and demonstrates the unjust mistreatment Indigenous peoples face daily,” stated Hugh Braker, First Nations Summit Political Executive. “It is clear this security company, like many other security agencies, racially profile indigenous people as security risks. The FNLC condemns the broken colonial system and the lack of effective legislation and policies, which opens the door for these organisations to operate with little oversight and accountability. We are deeply shocked and outraged by this event and will continue to stand firm in our pursuit of transformative systemic changes to eradicate racism and the mistreatment of Indigenous people, in particular women and girls”.

UBCIC President Grand Chief Stewart Phillip concluded, "We are gravely concerned that law enforcement agencies and security personnel alike have grown all too comfortable employing excessive and violent force on Indigenous peoples without facing consequences. The FNLC stands in solidarity with those who have experienced incidents of brutality and will continue to shine a light on the ongoing mistreatment of First Nations people. We join the victim’s family in condemning the excessive force used by Paladin Security and call for an Indigenous investigator to work with the victim’s family and their community to perform a thorough investigation into this incident.”

The FNLC demands for Paladin Security to issue a formal apology to the victim and her family following this horrific incident. Additionally, we call for an independent investigation to determine the interlinkage between First Nations racism and the use of excessive force or unlawful detainment in circumstances such as this. We call on Paladin Security to review the incident with the involved officers to reprimand them for their behaviour, and ensure proper processes are in place to provide security personnel the necessary cultural competency training. The FNLC will continue to call for culturally competent security and policing in B.C. and speak out against incidents of brutality and mistreatment.                      

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The First Nations Leadership Council is comprised of the political executives of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN), First Nations Summit (FNS), and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC).

For further information, contact:

Hugh Braker, FNS Political Executive:                                         604-812-2632

Annette Schroeter, BCAFN Communications Officer:                 778-281-1655

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President:                           250-490-5314

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