FSIN chief accuses Mountie of racial profiling during traffic stop

The chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is accusing a SaskatchewanRCMP officer of racial profiling.

Chief Bobby Cameron says a Mountie recently pulled him over on the highway between Prince Albert and Montreal Lake.

Cameron says he asked the officer why he was being stopped and the first thing the officer said to him was: "Have you been drinking today?"

Cameron, who the FSIN says has been sober for seven years, calls the encounter "sickening and disgusting," saying it angered him to be asked the question "because not all Indians are drunks."

Cameron says he plans to fight a $175 ticket issued to him for allegedly driving without due care and attention.

Cameron says the officer clocked him at 102 kilometres per hour on the highway.

"I said to him: 'Is that speeding?'and he said, 'No sir,'" said Cameron.

He admits he sped up to pass a few vehicles on his journey, but slowed down immediately afterward.

Saskatchewan RCMPsent a statement to CBC News.

"Traffic stops are an integral part of our enforcement efforts and in the course of conducting traffic stops, our members often make inquiries based on the behaviours they observe," it reads.

"However, the comments made by Chief Cameronare certainly of concern to us, therefore we will be investigating this matter further."