The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that the RCMP discriminated against First Nations former students when it investigated claims of historical abuse at two northern B.C. schools.

The decision comes 12 years after the RCMP concluded its investigation into a “well-known Canadian” accused of sexually, physically and mentally abusing children at two schools where he worked as a physical education teacher in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The man’s identity is protected by a confidentiality order issued by the tribunal in 2022. He is referred to by the tribunal as “A.B.”

The ruling, which was released Monday, had been more than a year overdue.

Harrington found that officers failed to fully inform witnesses of their legal options and improperly asked for one to take a lie detector test. She ruled that Indigenous identity was likely “at least a factor” in the discrimination and that police actions further eroded First Nations’ trust in police.

“The evidence shows that, as a result of these negative interactions and beliefs about the RCMP, the Indigenous witnesses did not expect that the RCMP would take them or their complaints seriously,” she wrote.