Former Blood Tribe police chief charged with sexual assault

LETHBRIDGE -

Former Blood Tribe police chief Brice Iron Shirt was arrested two weeks ago in Manitoba on a charge of sexual assault in Quebec.

The incident allegedly occurred in May 2022, while he was police chief, and involved a former Blood Tribe police constable.

A human rights complaint has also been filed against the Blood Tribe Police Commission, the police service, the First Nation and the former police chief.

"Human rights tribunal is really the best place for it to be dealt with. They're able to order things like requiring employers to have better policies, they're able to award damages for victims of discrimination," said Dana Christianson, lawyer for the former constable.

The former constable cannot be named due to a publication ban.

But through her lawyer, she says the former police chief suggested a group of officers go to a strip club while they were in Gatineau, Que., last year. She felt she had no choice.

She says later at their hotel, he made unwanted sexual advances and touched her.

"Those more overt examples of sexual assault, sexual discrimination, just compound that underlying discrimination that even exists and make things even harder for the women in this field," Christianson said.

The former constable filed a complaint with the Blood Tribe Police Commission in August 2022.

When the commission met, she says she was "scolded for her role in what had occurred" and told it was a misunderstanding.

Alternative measures were suggested but she refused.

She later learned Iron Shirt resigned following that meeting, nine months after he became the first Blood Tribe member in two decades to lead the police service.

"Her real goal here is to ensure something like this doesn't happen in the future. And one way to do that is to hold those accountable by bringing a complaint like this forward," Christianson said.

The Blood Tribe Police Commission told CTV News it has "been made aware of pending charges against Mr. Iron Shirt."

Neither the commission nor the service has commented further as the case is before the court.

Iron Shirt could not be reached for an interview and is due to appear to appear in court in Gatineau on April 9.