RCMP Const. Emeri Carriere-Mackenzie, right, is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. (RCMP Depot Division/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

tradition

LLRIB RCMP officer first to wear ribbon skirt during academy grad

Jun 12, 2024 | 12:36 PM

RCMP Const. Emeri Carriere-Mackenzie, from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, is the first ever cadet to graduate from the RCMP Academy with the honour of wearing a ribbon skirt.

In a media release issued Monday, it stated ever since Carriere-Mackenzie saw her grandfather in his RCMP uniform, she knew she wanted to become a police officer.

She remembered listening to her grandfather’s stories about helping people in Northern Saskatchewan and she knew that she wanted to serve her community in the same way.

During her training, she made friendships with her troopmates that she will never forget. She believes that her troop’s comradery and the dedication of her facilitators were key elements to her success.

“As a single parent, it was often challenging for Const. McKenzie to be away from her daughter,” the release stated.

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“However, through perseverance, and with the support of her family and friends, she is proud to have graduated and started her first posting in Northern Saskatchewan.”

Mackenzie explained the process of joining the RCMP takes time, and there are points along the way when you may want to give up. She noted there are ways to manage the stress and challenges of training.

“For her, traditional Indigenous practices were an integral part of her time at Depot,” the release added.

“The Indigenous Spirit Room helped make her feel like she was at home, allowing her to smudge, pray and reflect. She is thankful for the support of her troopmates, who would join her in smudging before benchmarks.”

The ribbon skirt is an initiative of the Women’s Indigenous Network that supports employee pride, advances culture change in the organization, and helps to build and mend relationships with Indigenous people and communities.

The wearing of the ribbon skirt is only permitted for certain non-operational occasions such as receiving an award or a national investiture, a formal religious/spiritual services, weddings, RCMP or other regimental mess events, cadet troop graduations, formal dinners where Indigenous officers are guests of honour, school talks, various presentations, Change of Command ceremonies, media or community events and meetings as participants or in a greeting capacity of honoured guests.

Traditionally, the ribbon skirt is a symbol of resilience, survival, identity and hope. The colours consisting of yellow, red, blue and white represent the four directions, and they also represent the RCMP colours.

The satin ribbons are adjacent to each other as they signify that everyone from the four directions are united rather than divided.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com