Unveiled: RCMP Spied on Indigenous Groups

0:00It's March 27, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Vancouver News today, local news powered by AI. Library and Archives Canada faced pushback after delaying the release of 50-year-old RCMP Security Service Files on Indigenous Activism 4. National Security Reasons A CBC Indigenous Reporter requested the records in 2022 through an access to information request, but officials first ignored it and then claimed it would take nearly four years, or 1,398 days, to review with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The reporter filed a complaint with Canada's Information Commissioner, who ruled the delay unreasonable and ordered the files released. Library and Archives Canada challenged that in court in 2024, arguing disclosure could harm sources and current operations, but they later dropped the case. Growing up near the Iperwash standoff, the reporter from Chippewa's of Kettle in Stony Point First Nation wanted to uncover past state surveillance on Indigenous people, questioning

1:04if old fears of them as security threats lingered. In late 2025, the Archives fast-tracked the request ahead of a huge backlog and posted the files online, covering groups like the National Indian Brotherhood, Native Protests, Union of BC, Indian Chiefs, and DNA Nation. They reveal RCMP wiretaps, surveillance, and paid informants infiltrating legitimate organizations. CBC teams used the documents for news stories on 1970 as spying, and the reporter is now seeking thousands more pages on other Indigenous groups to expose the full scope of the program.