Program

Policing in a Changing Canada

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This year’s theme invites police leaders to focus on the significant impacts of record levels of immigration to Canada on the police profession.

Every year, Canada welcomes thousands of immigrants and refugees into the country. In fact, in November 2022, the federal government announced an aggressive plan to take in 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025. These newcomers become residents in communities our police agencies serve in all regions of Canada. Not only that, but some of them might become police officers themselves.

Each of these immigrants and refugees arrive with their own respective backgrounds as well as their perceptions and experiences of policing in their country of origin. As a result, their arrival is not only changing the face of our communities; As cultural communities grow and become considerably more diverse, they increasingly influence the perceptions, needs, expectations and actions of those living in the neighbourhoods we serve.

As a result, police leaders must consider how personal, cultural, and environmental factors relate to operational plans such that needs and expectations of an ever-changing community are met.

Delegates attending this event will be invited to reflect on the changing face of Canada and its various communities. For example, how do the following factors affect recruitment and the delivery of police services in Canada?

• Cultural differences, issues, customs, and traditions
• Language barriers
• Age
• Immigration status
• Previous experiences of corrupt or brutal police agencies in countries of origin
• Lack of knowledge of the differences between Canadian laws and the judicial system and those in countries of origin

All these factors affect how immigrants and refugees perceive and interact with the police, as well as how and why they may become victims and/or perpetrators of crime in Canada.

How international crime organizations perceive Canada’s police and justice systems is equally important as we attempt to assess how desirable/vulnerable our country might be as a potential target for foreign criminal activities.

You are the leaders of Policing in a Changing Canada. This event is designed to help you better anticipate, understand, and prepare for a very important reality that affects each and every police service in Canada, regardless of size or geography.