The chief of the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation in the Yukon says he wants a public inquiry into the death of one of his members in police custody this month.
Chief Eddie Skookum, who is also the spokesman for Raymond Silverfox's family, told
Silverfox, 43, had been arrested early that morning at the city's Salvation Army shelter, then detained for about 12 hours in RCMP cells, when police said he went into medical distress. He died in hospital shortly afterward.
Shelter officials have said that Silverfox appeared intoxicated at the time of his arrest.
"What we want is more communication between the RCMP, the hospital, the ambulance drivers, the Salvation Army, [Yukon] Alcohol and Drug Services — all need to fall into place so such a thing or event never happens to another person," Skookum said Thursday.
He added that a public inquiry would get some answers about how Silverfox could have died.
His view echoes that of Yukon NDP MLA John Edzerza and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Both have called for a public inquiry, given that Silverfox is the fourth aboriginal person to die in Yukon RCMP custody since 1999.
However, the Yukon government has resisted calls for a public inquiry, saying it has confidence in the RCMP's investigation of the matter.
Both the Whitehorse RCMP and the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, a national watchdog for the Mounties, are investigating Silverfox's death.
The Yukon's chief coroner's office will also hold an inquest sometime next year.