Sask. First Nations groups call for inquiry, accountability following report into baby’s death

First Nations leaders and a grieving mother say a recent report into the death of infant Tanner Brass doesn’t go far enough.

They’re calling for an inquiry, criminal charges against a number of Prince Albert, Sask., police officers and the release of all the recordings and documentation in the case.

Tanner’s mother, Kyla Frenchman, attended a news conference in Saskatoon with First Nations leaders on Friday. She did not speak, but was wrapped in a ceremonial blanket.

“They failed Kyla, an Indigenous woman, and her child. We need answers. We need the Prince Albert Police Service to be held accountable,” Frenchman’s lawyer, Eleanore Sunchild, said.

Sunchild said Tanner’s death was caused by both negligence and racism.

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron agreed.

“This isn’t over. It ain’t over by a long shot,” Cameron said. “What they did is despicable.”

A report released this week by Saskatchewan’s Public Complaints Commission (PCC) relied on evidence from the responding officers, in-car video recordings, audio recording of a 911 call, dispatch records, cellphone records, CCTV recordings, autopsy reports, policy documents and other elements.

The Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) requested an investigation because of concerns that officers’ actions — or inaction — resulted in the death.

The report found that in February 2022, Frenchman made a 911 call from a neighbour’s phone to police and told them her baby was in danger. She told the operator that the baby’s father, Kaij Brass, was intoxicated and had assaulted her when she tried to get her baby and belongings.

Police were dispatched to a Prince Albert home. Police took Frenchman to the police station, but declined to enter the home to check on Tanner.

Several hours later, officers were called back to the residence by a man who said he’d killed the infant. Tanner was found dead, and officers arrested Kaij Brass. He is charged with second-degree murder. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

On Thursday, hours after the release of the report, Prince Albert police Chief Jonathan Bergen announced his retirement. The FSIN, Sunchild and others have been calling for Bergen to be fired or resign for months.

Bergen said he and his family have faced relentless harassment and criticism over the past few years, much of it from within the force. He said it would be difficult to discipline these two officers or take other action because it would be seen as vindictive, given his own unpopularity.

Bergen said in a statement he chose to retire, but during the news conference, Cameron thanked Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Christine Tell for forcing Bergen out.

Cameron, Sunchild and others are also calling for a full release of the 911 call and all other documentation. They are demanding a full inquiry to reveal more about the case and Prince Albert police generally. And they want criminal charges laid against any officers who they say could have prevented the infant’s death.

Officers should have known baby was at risk: expert

A Saskatchewan advocate against domestic violence said frontline officers need more training.

The responding officers who attended Frenchman’s call have said they believed the baby was safe with his father, but Jo-Anne Dusel said the risk to the baby should have been obvious.

Evidence shows that in situations of intimate partner violence, children are equally at risk, said Dusel, who is the executive director of the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan. The association represents several member agencies across the province that directly support abuse survivors.

She noted a report released in 2018 that examined deaths related to intimate partner violence from 2005 to 2014 in Saskatchewan. Of the 48 deaths, 16 were youth. There have been more young victims since then.

“These are innocent children. They deserve to be protected,” she said. “We need to really take a hard look at what we’re doing or not doing in Saskatchewan that’s continuing to keep us in this place where we do have the highest rates [of domestic violence] among the provinces.”

Dusel said work has been done to create stronger policies on responding to domestic violence calls, but the existence of a policy doesn’t matter if those policies aren’t taught, understood and adhered to.

She also said the commission’s report doesn’t address outstanding questions, such as why police didn’t contact an emergency worker with the Ministry of Social Services to secure Frenchman a safe place to go with her baby if the local shelters were full.

Child protective services should have been alerted immediately after Frenchman told the 911 operator that Brass hits the baby, Dusel said.

“There is a duty in Saskatchewan for people to report when there is a suspicion of abuse toward children … even exposure to intimate partner violence is considered child abuse or neglect in Saskatchewan.”

Release of second report promised

At the FSIN press conference on Friday, reference was made to a second report, done by an Edmonton expert contracted by the Saskatchewan government. Speakers at the news conference demanded its immediate release.

On Friday, after the news conference, Tell’s office confirmed the existence of the Prince Albert Police Service Special Inquiry final report and promised to release it publicly “in the coming weeks.”

Tell, in a statement, also thanked the Public Complaints Commission for its work.

She said it “provides a valuable service to the people of Saskatchewan and helps ensure that our municipal police services remain accountable. I thank the commission for its work and offer my deepest sympathies to the family of Tanner Brass. This situation was tragic and the details now released highlight the need for immediate change within the Prince Albert Police Service.

“I am confident that the new interim chief of police will begin the process of change that is necessary.

“I look forward to the continued co-operation of the Prince Albert Board of Police Commissioners as they move forward during this challenging time.”