“Nobody tells me no”

Injured female officer declared in interview

CBC News

A Saskatchewan RCMP officer shot and wounded on the weekend was determined to create a better life for herself after residential school, troubles at home and a teen pregnancy.

In an interview on the website of the Keewatin Career Development Corporation, a non-profit organization that serves northern Saskatchewan, Const. Robin Cameron describes how she was determined not to take no for an answer in her attempt to move forward.

"I always wanted to be an RCMP [officer] ever since I was a little girl," she says in the transcript of the interview about her life, which appears in the "Real People" section of the website.

"When I went for the interview, they told me that my eyes were too bad, and they refused me. I was stubborn. Nobody tells me no."

Cameron then got laser surgery done on her eyes. "When I went back they took me in."

Cameron, 29, a mother of an 11-year-old girl, was one of two officers shot Friday night near the community of Mildred, about 140 kilometres west of Prince Albert, on Friday. RCMP continued a massive hunt for the suspect on Monday.

The other injured officer is Const. Marc Bourdages, 26, father of a nine-month-old boy. Cameron and Bourdages were stationed at the RCMP detachment in Spiritwood, about 10 kilometres west of Mildred.

Both officers were listed in serious condition in intensive care in a Saskatoon hospital on Monday.

In the interview, Cameron describes a turbulent childhood.

"I was in public school from grades 1 to 2, and went to a residential school — St. Michael Indian Student Residence —from grades 4 to 8. I didn't like it. I believe I was sent there because I was having problems at home, and I was getting out of hand.

"In high school, I bounced back and forth between the public school and the residential school. Eventually I had to drop out all together because of a teen pregnancy. After a year or two, I said, 'Enough is enough, I am going back to school.'"

So she did, then she graduated, went to university for two years, had the surgery done on her eyes after the initial rejection from the RCMP, and applied again. She credits her athletic ability — she says she loves playing soccer — for helping her in training at the RCMP Police Academy.

Her first posting was at the RCMP detachment in the village of Beauval in northern Saskatchewan.

Cameron is a member of the Beardy's Okemis First Nations, located about 70 kilometres north of Saskatoon, near Duck Lake. She said she likes to read, cross stitch, play soccer, volleyball and basketball, ski and relax at home.

She has served five years with the RCMP.

The Keewatin Career Development Corporation is a partnership of 14 northern Saskatchewan agencies that provide career and educational services. Its website provides career resources, with tips and interviews with real people.
 
The Real People section features interviews with northerners about their careers. It includes a photo of Cameron in uniform and a short video of her doing the interview, laughing at one point and speaking with pride about her accomplishments.