Rallies held across Canada in wake of Stanley verdict

Last Friday, a 12-person jury in Battleford, Saskatchewan, found Stanley not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Boushie, who was a member of the Red Pheasant Cree First Nation.

Mr. Stanley was found not guilty of second-degree murder by jurors who did not believe that he meant to kill Mr. Boushie – something that is always hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, but especially so after two of the Crown’s key eye-witnesses change their stories in court. He said he was in jail for killing someone and when he went to sleep he had dreams about the man he killed.

“When look at where we supposedly are in this country in respect of reconciliation – and the knowledge and understanding that we’ve gained, and still have to gain, obviously – I was shocked that verdict came down”, she added. While it would be completely inappropriate to comment on the specifics of this case, we understand there are systemic issues in our criminal justice system that we must address.

“There’s a lot that has been done”, she said. We want equality right now.

They include Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott and Carolyn Bennett, the minister Crown-Indigenous Relations. It is raising money to support Boushie’s family.

I use that old-fashioned phrase with its overtones of British social class intentionally, because it is an important factor in the explosion of outrage and sadness that has followed Stanley’s legal exculpation. “My heart cries today”. “It is time for us as a nation to do better”. After firing warning shots, he said his gun went off accidentally, striking Boushie in the head as he sat in the group’s SUV.

If found guilty of the firearm-related charges, Stanley would face a maximum sentence of two years if it is his first offence and up to five years if he has more than one prior conviction.

Mr Stanley’s trial began on 30 January. This allows lawyers to unfairly avoid people they may not want on a jury, he said. Any appeal, however, will restricted to errors by the judge, not the jury’s conclusions.

A demand for change to the federal justice system and a proclamation of fear for his life as a young Indigenous man were declared during a rally, which took place on Family Day on the steps of the Prince George Courthouse Monday afternoon.

“This is what you get when you spend 150 years perpetuating genocide and continuing violent policies”, Sinclair told Al Jazeera.

There is a separate GoFundMe page for the Boushie family which has raised over 0,000.

The perception, said Hall, comes from a lack of interaction with Indigenous peoples.

Mohawk community member Sedalia Kawennotas at the Viens Commission, a public inquiry into the mistreatment of Indigenous people in Quebec.

After the trial, her thoughts turned to Boushie’s mother, Debbie Baptiste, and the rest of the family. “Canada is Indian land – Indigenous land”. “We need a change, we’ve had enough”. We must claim space in the legislature, in parliament.

Can we fix the system?

Coltman added that she feels like there are a lot of oppressive structures within the judicial system, saying that it played a huge role in this trial and a lot of trials involving Indigenous people.

He said policy-makers, including the province and the federal government, should talk about how to make the justice system better for all. “He didn’t deserve to die”. An all-white jury acquitted Stanley on Friday, Feb. 9.

“Justice for Colten” became a rallying cry for the protests that swept across Canada.

“This has to do with the story of Canada”.

“The disturbing facts of this case shine a glaringly harsh light on the sheer and blatant racism that exists both in Canadian society and in the Canadian justice system”. “I grieve for a family that has seen only injustice from the moment a farmer with a handgun (why does a farmer need a handgun?) killed their son”.

“I may grieve for some time”.