The Mounties have appointed the first Aboriginal from Quebec as a member of the RCMP Commissioner’s National Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Losty Mamianskum, from Whapmagoostui, was officially named to the committee on Oct. 15, but only found out about it a couple of weeks ago due to being out of town.
The official mandate of the committee, formed in November 1989, is to provide the Commissioner of the RCMP, Giuliano Zacardelli, with strategic advice and cultural perspective on matters pertaining to the delivery of the highest quality of policing. They meet twice a year to discuss Aboriginal policing issues, make recommendations and influence policy.
A busy man in his northern community, Losty serves on the working group for Cree governance, is the Chairman of the justice committee in Whapmagoostui, and is the local representative for the CRA. The hard-working 42 year-old has a degree from Laurentian University for a joint major in law and native studies.
He is now finishing his Master’s thesis in legal studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he has already completed his course studies.
Asked about the appointment, Losty said, “I think that in order to contribute to change, sometimes it’s better to do it from the inside. That was my reason for accepting the position on the committee.” He intends to use his new position to, “articulate the needs and concerns of Native people.”
The four-year appointment to the committee came as a surprise to Losty who wanted to inform young people “that education is very important, you never know where it will take you. There are endless possibilities.” He also wanted to be sure to let everyone know that in spite of his new position, he’s still “the same humble guy.”
