SR Vol 27 No 4, October 2009 - Nova Scotia Barristers' Society

kudosCpl. Craig Marshall SmithRCMP Diversity Policing AnalystPhilip Star QCPink Star Murphy Barro, YarmouthAs a criminal defencelawyer, I have comeinto contact withmany RCMP officers.None of them would be held in higher esteem by me than Cpl. CraigMarshall Smith. Although he is no longer “walking the beat” inYarmouth, I have continued to follow his career.It is truly fitting that Cpl. Smith would end up as the Diversity PolicingAnalyst for the RCMP in H Division (Nova Scotia), as diversitymay best describe the life of this Nova Scotian. Youth worker, busdriver, father, YMCA Director, policeman, educator and author—those are the types of experiences and the knowledge he brings to hiscareer with the RCMP.The range of Craig’s life experiences prior to joining the RCMP, whichdirectly impacts his position, includes much community developmentand serving on the Halifax Regional Police & Black CommunityLiaison Committee and the Multi-Cultural Liaison Committee of theCanadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Craig has been involved inraising awareness around racism, youth and educational needs sincethe early 1980s. In 1994, as the Library Youth Worker at the NorthBranch Library, Craig first brought together Black students and theHalifax Police Services members for a positive exchange.Craig’s work, since being promoted in 2005 into the Corporal’s positionas Diversity Policing Analyst, includes travelling around NovaScotia to better the relationship between the RCMP and the diversecommunities of our province. It has also included partnering with theOffice of African Nova Scotia Affairs, presenting at consultations ineight Black communities and holding career/recruitment presentationsin another 10.In 2007, the Halifax Public Libraries, in partnership with the RCMPunder Craig’s leadership with the HRP, enhanced and revised thisprogram. By 2008, Craig’s unit had received funding to hold sessionsacross the province.Craig coordinates the Commanding Officer’s H Division DiversityAdvisory Committee, which came into existence as a direct result ofthe Marshall Inquiry. This committee provides advice and directionto the Commanding Officer on a variety of issues and concerns.He has lectured to RCMP members and others within law enforcementon the topic of bias-free policing since 2006. Presently, he isin the process of rolling out African Nova Scotian-specific culturalcompetency education to RCMP members across the Division.As a writer and educator, Craig has provided a unique insight intothe African Canadian experience, leaving himself somewhat opento criticism as he has attempted to expose institutionalized racismin the RCMP and Canada. Craig’s 2006 book, You Had Better BeWhite By Six A.M. – The African Canadian Experience in the RoyalCanadian Mounted Police, provided Canadians with a glimpse of theAfrican Canadian struggle for equality in our country. It is the kindof learning tool that can be utilized in classrooms across our countryand a must-read for those within the legal field, law enforcement,correctional services, parole and probation, and more.He is a Canadian National Griot Award winner and an inductee tothe Rev. Dr. William P. Oliver Black Wall of Honour. Also devotedto celebrating achievement in sport, Craig is a former president and38 The Society Record