Current Problems: Justice (25-42)

Exploring Stakeholder: "Government of Alberta"

Updates on this page: 37
 

March 13, 2024


B.C. judge warns of ‘tsunami’ of Indigenous identity fraud cases

Baptist pastor charged with possessing child pornography claimed Métis status based on great-great-grandparent WARNING: This story contains details of child sexual exploitation and pornography. CBC News: After he was charged with possessing child pornography, Nathan Allen Joseph Legault discovered a figure from his past he hoped might help with his future. The Prince Rupert, B.C., man...

March 13, 2024


Alberta announces intention to create organization with ‘police-like services’

Further consultation with Indigenous communities to follow  APTN News: The Alberta government announced Bill 11 which would allow for the creation of a new police agency on Wednesday that would take over the responsibilities of Alberta sheriffs. “Residents have a right to feel protected in their everyday lives,” said Mike Ellis, minister of public and...

March 4, 2024


MNC Statement on Bilodeau Unescorted Absences

NationTalk: The Métis National Council is deeply disappointed by the unescorted temporary release (UTR) of Roger Bilodeau despite the many of objections of the victims’ families, and community. Bilodeau was convicted of manslaughter 2020 for the shooting deaths of two Métis men, Jacob Sansom and Morris Cardinal. The MNC adds our voice in supporting the...

February 29, 2024


Police watchdog finds police used ‘reasonable’ force on man at Sucker Creek First Nation

Report finds police acted reasonably due to the circumstances  The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. Photo: APTN file  APTN News: The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, or ASIRT says police acted reasonably in the case of a Sucker Creek First Nation man who was arrested and later hospitalised for several days. On Dec. 11, 2021...

February 27, 2024


Man convicted of manslaughter in the death of two Métis hunters granted unescorted absences from prison

RCMP says in parole documents that approving UTA will ‘display holes in the justice system.’  Sarah Sansom by family and supporters after the verdict on Anthony Bilodeau. Photo: APTN file.  APTN News: The parole board of Canada has granted Roger Bilodeau, one of the men convicted of killing two Métis hunters in Alberta unescorted temporary...

December 6, 2023


Deadly Edmonton police shooting caught on video

Cree man died after witnesses say he was tasered APTN News: A Cree man shot and killed by Edmonton police officers on Dec. 3 was remembered at a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening. Friends placed photos and a wreath on a tree near where the shooting occurred in downtown Edmonton. A poster identified the victim as...

October 27, 2023


Working 118th: The legacy of Edmonton’s ‘killing fields’

The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 at 1-855-242-3310. NationTalk: A gust of wind drifts through the prairie grass and into the city of Edmonton. A peaceful setting until you learn the history of the area. The rural city limits have long been an informal resting ground in Alberta’s capital city, where dozens of...

October 26, 2023


Limitations Legislation and Treaty Rights at the Supreme Court: First Peoples Law Report

In the following post, my colleague Kate Gunn summarizes the points raised in our submissions at the Supreme Court last week, where we had the privilege of representing the Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta in their intervention in the Jim Shot Both Sides appeal. I hope you find it informative and helpful. You can also read it on...

October 6, 2023


People accused of killing Indigenous women less likely to be charged with first-degree murder: study

Several factors from funding to distrust of colonial systems may contribute to the sentencing decisions  APTN News: A report from Statistics Canada shows that there’s a disparity in the way homicide cases involving Indigenous women and girls are handled in the Canadian legal system. Data between 2009 and 2021 indicated that first-degree murder charges, the...

September 7, 2023


Man convicted in killing of Métis hunters begins appeal

Defence lawyer argues jury did not receive proper instructions  APTN News: Roger Bilodeau, the Alberta man convicted of two counts of manslaughter for the slayings of two Métis hunters in March 2020, had a hearing for the appeal of his 10-year sentence Thursday. Bilodeau was convicted of two counts of manslaughter for the fatal shootings...

July 20, 2023


Indigenous people 17.7% more likely to be incarcerated in Sask.

Non-Indigenous people charged with crimes are more likely to receive bail than Indigenous people Jeremy Appel / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / Alberta Native News Jul 20, 2023 10:00 PM NationTalk: Saskatoon Today: ALBERTA NATIVE NEWS — Saskatchewan has Canada’s highest rate of Indigenous over-representation in provincial custody, with Alberta in second place, according to new data...

June 19, 2023


Is A Genocide Taking Place in Canada? Short Answer: Yes.

NationTalk: (OTTAWA, ON) – A genocide is being perpetuated against Indigenous peoples in Canada. That was the unambiguous declaration of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. But, despite a death toll that climbs year after year, many Canadians have difficulty understanding how the Inquiry reached its finding, or accepting that...

June 7, 2023


Every Canadian has a role in ending the MMIWG crisis, advocate says

Empathy ‘must stay in Canadians’ hearts past the evening’s news broadcast’: Hilda Anderson-Pyrz This column is an opinion written by Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle, as part of CBC’s “Mother. Sister. Daughter,” a project that tracked progress on the 231 calls to justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered...

June 5, 2023


Search for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls hampered by police apathy: Researchers

‘The problem of Indigenous women being overpoliced and underprotected is all across Canada’ Participants walk in the Women’s Memorial March in Vancouver to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua via Getty Images) Content warning: the following contains disturbing subject matter. NationTalk: University of Toronto – In Canada, research shows...

May 25, 2023


Sexual assault organizations struggling to help victims post-pandemic: study

APTN News: The preliminary findings of a new national survey is highlighting how frontline sexual assault organizations are struggling to provide timely services to victims and survivors post-pandemic. The report, which was conducted by national organization Ending Violence Association of Canada, surveyed more than 100 sexual violence organizations (SVOs) across Canada on how the pandemic impacted...

May 2, 2023


MPs call for national emergency declaration on violence against Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit people

Motion was presented by NDP MP Leah Gazan of Winnipeg Centre CBC News: The House of Commons adopted a motion on unanimous consent Tuesday calling on the federal government to declare ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people a national emergency. The motion was presented by Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Leah Gazan. It also...

April 29, 2023


‘We want justice’ says mother of teen injured by Edmonton Police

Pacey Dumas and his family spoke to the media about the announcement there would not be excessive force charges  This article has a brief mention of suicide APTN: The family of Pacey Dumas, a young man who sustained serious injuries at the hands of an Edmonton police officer say their lives have been changed forever....

April 29, 2023


No charges for Edmonton police constable who kicked Indigenous teen in the head

‘It was clearly a use of force that was intended or likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm,’ ASIRT says CBC News: Originally posted, April 27, updated April 29 – An Edmonton police constable who kicked an Indigenous teenager in the head — leaving him with life-altering injuries — won’t face criminal charges even though Alberta’s police...

April 14, 2023


Family of Cindy Gladue says province has ‘misplaced’ her remains

Gladue’s partial, preserved remains were brought into the courtroom by the crown prosecutor Cindy Gladue was a mother of three when she died in June 2011. Photo: APTN file  APTN: The family of Cindy Gladue says that Alberta Justice has lost her remains. A part of Gladue’s preserved remains were brought into the court room...

March 8, 2023


Alberta’s mandatory oath of allegiance is systemic discrimination

The government should amend the Legal Profession Act to remove it or to make it optional. First Peoples Law report: The Canadian Bar Association – In April 2022, the Law Society of Alberta acknowledged that systemic discrimination exists in the province’s justice system and legal profession. Two months later, a Sikh articling student launched a lawsuit, challenging...

February 23, 2023


How missing Indigenous women could be saved with ‘Red Dress Alert’

Nation Talk: CTV News – One Winnipeg MP is calling for a system, similar to the existing Amber Alerts, to be established to notify the public about missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. “We currently have crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in this country. Something that our current prime...

February 11, 2023


It’s everyone’s job to help end the MMIWG crisis, advocates say — and here’s how

‘It starts with everybody taking responsibility,’ says author of inquiry’s final report WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Lorelei Williams is exhausted. The Coast Salish woman has been on the frontlines of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis in Vancouver since 2012, when she founded Butterflies in Spirit to raise awareness about...

January 30, 2023


Mandatory Indigenous course at risk after group of lawyers aim to change Law Society rule

Vote to take place Monday and 11,100 Alberta lawyers eligible to register CBC News: The fate of a required Indigenous course for Alberta lawyers is at risk after a group petitioned the Law Society of Alberta (LSA) to remove a rule that allows the regulator to mandate legal education.  Currently, all Alberta lawyers are required...

January 6, 2023


Alberta man who killed Métis hunters sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years

Maurice Cardinal and Jacob Sansom were killed on March 27, 2020, in rural Alberta An Alberta man was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without parole eligibility for 13 years in the second-degree murder of Métis hunter Maurice Cardinal. Anthony Bilodeau was also sentenced to eight years for the manslaughter death of Jacob Sansom. The sentences will be...

September 30, 2022


‘Why aren’t we talking about it?’ The forgotten cause of missing Indigenous men and boys

Indigenous men are much more likely to be victims of homicide than Indigenous women, but families say they don’t get the same kind of attention. Toronto Star: ENOCH CREE NATION, Alta.—There is no word for goodbye in Cree. Instead people say êkosi mâka, or “That’s it for now.”  The belief is that loved ones will always...

December 14, 2021


Call for a Miscarriage of Justice Commission

APTN – Women and people of colour “urgently” need a commission to review claims of wrongful conviction, say two retired judges. Harry LaForme, the first Indigenous lawyer on an appellate court in Canada, and Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, the first Black judge in Quebec, were tasked with helping formulate a new Criminal Case Review Commission for Justice Canada....

October 4, 2021


SCO Survey on MMIWG Calls for Justice

Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) – “Only 53% of murder cases involving [Indigenous] women and girls have led to charges of homicide. This is dramatically different from the national clearance rate for homicides in Canada, which was last reported as 84%” (NWAC, 2011). Governments and Canadian institutions now need to fully implement the Calls for Justice....

June 4, 2021


MMIWG Inquiry – OAS Complaint

The Native Women’s Association of Canada -NWAC is taking immediate steps to file a Human Rights complaint in Canada and to request International intervention and investigation by the Organization of American States (OAS) and United Nations (UN) in forcing the federal government to take the steps necessary to end the genocide against Indigenous women, girls and...

June 3, 2021


MMIWG Inquiry – Government Action Plan Complaints

NationTalk – Ontario Native Women’s Association, Québec Native Women, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Chair in Indigenous Governance, Feminist Alliance for International Action – A consortia of Indigenous women’s advocacy groups representing 49% of Indigenous women’s voices in Canada finds that the National Action Plan and Federal Pathway on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and...

February 12, 2021


Cindy Gladue murder trial: manslaughter conviction

Edmonton Journal – Bradley Barton convicted of manslaughter in his second trial for killing Cindy Gladue in an Edmonton hotel room in 2011. Unlike in his first trail, the repeated references to Cindy Gladue as a native girl, a native woman and a prostitute were not allowed since they promoted “discriminatory beliefs or biases about...

November 12, 2020


Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights

NationTalk – 24 civil society groups attending the third ever meeting of Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights “condemned the obstructive attitude of some governments” in advancing international human rights obligations. Groups had pressed governments to commit to nation-wide law reform that will legally require governments to adopt a collaborative, accountable, consistent, transparent,...

September 9, 2020


Indigenous Journalists

Toronto Star – Increasing arrests of Indigenous journalists including: Karl Dockstader at 1492 Land Back Lane Haudenosaunee occupation regarding a housing development near Caledonia Courtney Skye, Yellowhead Institute researcher and Ryerson Fellow arrested as well Award-winning journalist Justin Brake was arrested and charged with criminal and civil contempt and criminal mischief while covering a protest...

August 31, 2020


McDonald-Laurier Report on Systemic Racism in Policing

MacDonald-Laurier Institute – “Systemic racism in policing in Canada and approaches to fixing it,” argues that the fault for this lies primarily with political leaders who set the framework conditions and constraints for the delivery of police services. This commentary is based on the author’s written submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on...

July 23, 2020


McDonald-Laurier Report on Systemic Racism in Policing

The CBC “Deadly Force” database indicates that the RCMP are 3x more likely to use lethal force than other police forces in Canada. The CBC data found that 68 per cent of people killed in police encounters were suffering with some kind of mental illness, addiction or both. “When we get broader statistical information that...

June 11, 2020


Bill 1 – Critical Infrastruture Defence Act

HuffPost – “Bill 1 – The The Critical Infrastructure Defence Act” bans protests at critical infrastructure such as “pipelines, oilsands sites, mining sites as well as utilities, streets, highways, railways, and telecom towers and equipment. Violators who protest, trespass, interfere with operations, or cause damage around that kind of infrastructure will face fines as high...

June 3, 2019


MMIWG Inquiry – Final Report

“National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girl Final Report (MMIWG)” states: Indigenous women and girls are 2.7 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women. ]Homicide rates for Indigenous women were nearly seven times higher than for non- Indigenous women. One quarter of all female homicide victims in Canada in 2015...

May 24, 2019


Cindy Gladue murder trial: Background

Background Context – Assembly of First Nations – AFN was an intervenor in Supreme Court R vs Barton 2019 SCC 33 in support of justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and for more respectful treatment of Indigenous women in the justice system. Bradley Barton was charged with first-degree murder in the death...