Retired RCMP officer Chris Gosselin has been honoured with a 2024 British Columbia Reconciliation Award for having forged stronger ties between Indigenous communities and the RCMP.
The award to Gosselin from the BC Achievement Foundation, presented in a ceremony in Victoria on Jan. 23, recognizes those "extraordinary individuals and organizations" who have demonstrated "exceptional leadership, integrity, respect, and commitment to furthering reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the province of British Columbia, or inspired others to continue reconciliation efforts."
Gosselin told The Progress that now that he's retired, not a day goes by that he doesn't miss serving local communities. "I feel very fortunate to have fulfilled a dream that I had was a young boy to be a police officer," he said. "I had the opportunity to police twice in Chilliwack, the town I grew up in."
Gosselin served more than 23 years as a Mountie in B.C., building strong relationships between First Nations communities, RCMP and provincial and federal government agencies.
Although he now lives in West Kelowna, Gosselin served in Chilliwack and surrounding communities for several years where he made his mark championing cultural education for officers within the RCMP, helping create an urban Indigenous liaison role in the force, and a specialized RCMP unit focused on cultural sensitivity.
"Probably 85 per cent of my career was Indigenous policing," he said."Something that I will cherish my entire life. At times it was difficult to be between indigenous people, and the policing world. I was very fortunate to work with some amazing Indigenous leaders."
He said policing was a rewarding career which offered him the chance to travel the country and work with officers from "all cultures and all religions.
"They're dedication to serving all Canadians is still not lost on me today," he said.
Since retirement he has started up a consulting company and worked with a few Indigenous communities.
"Gosselin, whose traditional name is Makadewaa Makwa (that comes from the black bear people), is a member of Tootinaowaziibeeng Nation in Manitoba. Of Ojibwe and Métis descent, Gosselin was recognized for his diplomatic approach to improving tripartite policing agreement with Stó:lō communities," according to the info from the BC Achievement Foundation.
His work centred on reconciliation, cultural sensitivity, and ensuring Indigenous voices were respected within the justice system.
In 2010, Chris was recognized nationally with a Member of the Order of Merit for Police award in Ottawa by the Governor General of Canada, an award for police officers who've shown exceptional service and merit.
He was honoured not solely for encouraging cultural education for Mounties but also advocating for tailored policing services.
"His leadership culminated in the signing of the Community Safety Agreement in 2021, for 14 Indigenous communities without a policing agreement, solidifying the RCMP’s commitment to culturally responsive policing," said the news release.
"Chris’ dedication to fostering trust and mutual respect leaves a lasting legacy in community-focused policing."
Stó:lō Tribal Council communities decided to honour Gosselin upon his retirement in October 2021 by adopting him and giving him an ancestral name, Qelets’telts (protector of the people).
He noted that while policing is a very rewarding career, it can also be tough on officers and their families.
"Doing the right thing comes with the cost," he said. "In your career, you see things that no person should have to see. But when you put your hand up to do that work, you taken oath to carry out those duties."
