Current Problems: Justice (25-42)

Exploring Stakeholder: "Government of Manitoba"

Updates on this page: 80
 

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 8, 2024


Protesters say they’re fed up with NDP government inaction after promise to search landfill for slain women

Daughter of Morgan Harris ‘sick of words with no action;’ AMC grand chief done ‘begging’ CBC Indigenous: Protesters demanding a search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of three First Nations women directed their anger at a new target Friday — Premier Wab Kinew, who has yet to deliver on his campaign promise. Chants of “Bring...

March 6, 2024


Frustrations raised concerning province’s plan for bail system

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs express their frustration with the provinces new five-point community safety plan, meant to bolster Manitoba’s bail system and crack down on repeat offenders. Mitchell Ringos reports. First People’s Law Report: City News – An ex-gang member who now teaches youth to stay out of jail is speaking out against the...

February 14, 2024


Manitoba child advocate calls for more supports after family killed

The Globe and Mail: The Canadian Press – Manitoba’s advocate for children and youth is calling on the provincial government to better support young people facing intimate partner violence after a man was charged with killing five family members, including his three young children. Sherry Gott offered her condolences to relatives, friends and the southern Manitoba...

February 12, 2024


First Nations man charged with five counts of first-degree murder

Ryan Howard Manoakeesick is accused of killing his young family and a relative in rural Manitoba on Sunday Warning: This story contains distressing details  APTN News: A 29-year-old man accused of killing his wife, their three young children and a female relative in a crime spree on Sunday is charged with five counts of first-degree...

January 25, 2024


Time to end ‘inhumane’ delays in search for women’s remains, Manitoba chiefs say as new report completed

‘I speak with urgency and expect action from the governments’: AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick WARNING: This story contains distressing details. Click on the following links to read the original article on CBC including all related videos: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/amc-landfill-search-prairie-green-1.7094507?cmp=newsletter_Evening%20Headlines%20from%20CBC%20News_1617_1371030 CBC News: First Nations leaders say the year-long wait for a search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for...

January 24, 2024


Winnipeg hotel that zip-tied First Nations woman ‘Out of Order’

APTN News: A hotel in downtown Winnipeg that was the focus of a protest on Sunday is now closed to the public. Signs posted on the front doors of the Marlborough Hotel say “Due to maintenance – Hotel is out of order.” It’s not clear if the hotel has been cleared of paying guests –...

January 22, 2024


Video of First Nations woman restrained by hotel staff sparks outrage

Christmas Day video shows woman with her hands tied behind her back. The Marlborough Hotel in Winnipeg was flooded with angry protesters on Sunday after a video surfaced of a First Nations woman whose hands were tied behind her back. APTN News: The incident occurred on Christmas Day at the hotel which is located downtown....

December 1, 2023


AMC Council of Elders Emphasizes the Sacredness of Life Amidst Alarming Rise in Homicide Rates

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) expresses deep concern about the drastic increase in homicide rates in Manitoba. In times of crisis, our cultural ceremonies, teachings, and the guidance of our Knowledge Keepers and Elders become crucial resources. Through these cultural ceremonies and the wisdom imparted by our Elders, representing...

November 29, 2023


Sacred fire lit for mothers killed in Sunday’s shooting in Winnipeg

A sacred fire was lit and tobacco was offered for two mothers killed in a Winnipeg shooting on Nov. 26 that left two others dead. APTN News: Crystal, 34, and Stephanie Beardy, 33, died along with Melelek Lesikel, 29, and Dylan Lavallee, 41. The sisters are from Lake St. Martin First Nation, 270 km north...

November 28, 2023


Family of sisters killed in Langside Street shooting has seen ‘a lot of death,’ chief says

Beardy family forced to leave their Lake St. Martin home during 2011 flood CBC Indigenous: The mother of the two sisters killed in a mass shooting in Winnipeg has now lost four daughters, and the family has also struggled after they were displaced by flooding, the chief of their home First Nation says. Stephanie and...

November 8, 2023


What do we know about Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe? Details still scarce as her alleged killer is in court

‘It’s tragic that her family … hasn’t found their loved one,’ MMIWG advocate says CBC Indigenous: Just steps away from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, red dresses blow in the wind.  They serve as a symbol of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, including the four police allege were killed by...

October 23, 2023


‘I’m very emotional’: Family of Clarence Woodhouse reacts to bail release

A judge in Winnipeg released Clarence Woodhouse, 72, on bail Monday pending a ministerial review of his 1974 murder conviction. “I’m very emotional and really happy,” said Woodhouse’s sister Linda Anderson after the hearing. “It’s good to see my brother come back home.” Woodhouse, from Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba,  was serving a prison sentence...

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 9, 2023


Headingley inmate said ‘I can’t breathe’ more than 20 times while restrained by guards, video shows

Court shown video of February 2021 altercation between officers and William Ahmo, who later died in hospital WARNING: This story contains disturbing video and details. CBC News: originally posted Sept. 8 – William Ahmo uttered the words “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times while officers swarmed and restrained him in a Manitoba jail, video...

September 5, 2023


‘I can’t breathe’: Court sees video of guards overpowering inmate William Ahmo

Paramedic says there was no sense of ‘urgency’ when he arrived to help. A screen shot from a video played in a Winnipeg courtroom of William Ahmo confronting the jail’s riot police.  APTN News: His mother’s sobs could be heard in a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday as she watched video of a group of correctional officers...

August 31, 2023


Allegations of sex crimes leads to eviction of employees, termination of water treatment plant construction contract

Community member says Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit of Manitoba RCMP asked to assist. One of the worker housing buildings in Sandy Bay First Nation. Photo: submitted  APTN News: Sandy Bay Ojibway Nation in Manitoba says it is terminating its relationship with the company building its new water treatment plant amid allegations construction workers sexually...

August 29, 2023


First Nations police investigating allegations young girl was sexually exploited

The band council ordered treatment plant workers out of the community about 180 km northwest of Winnipeg last week. Logo of the Manitoba First Nations Police Service. Photo: APTN  The Manitoba First Nations Police Service confirms it is investigating allegations that some workers on a water treatment plant construction project in Sandy Bay Ojibway Nation were sexually exploiting an...

August 10, 2023


Memorial held on anniversary of Tina Fontaine murder in Winnipeg

Veteran MMIWG2S Activist encouraged by work of younger generation. APTN News: Nine years after his sister Tina Fontaine was murdered, Elroy Fontaine planned a gathering at Oodena Circle in Winnipeg Thursday night to draw attention to the ongoing crisis, and to keep his sister’s memory alive.“I remember CFS bringing me down to their office and them sitting...

July 19, 2023


Innocence Canada calls for review of decades-old Manitoba murder convictions following acquittals

Lawyers say all murder cases involving Indigenous offenders in last 50 years should be reviewed CBC News: Lawyers with Innocence Canada are calling for a review of several decades’ worth of murder cases involving Indigenous offenders after two First Nations men were acquitted of a murder that happened half a century ago.  On Tuesday, Justice...

July 19, 2023


Camp Marcedes set up at Winnipeg’s human rights museum to honour victims of accused serial killer

Protestors set up Camp Marcades outside of the Canadian Human Rights Museum APTN News: Protesters demanding a search for their loved ones’ remains at a Winnipeg area landfill have found a welcoming new home at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights where the new location has been named “Camp Marcedes”. “We wanted to set up...

July 19, 2023


Two men wrongfully convicted 50 years ago speak out about justice system

‘The justice system needs to change,’ says Allan Woodhouse APTN News: After 50 years of being sentenced for a murder they didn’t commit Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse are free. Now they are speaking out about being wrongfully convicted. “The justice system needs to change,” Woodhouse told reporters at a press conference outside the Canadian Museum...

July 18, 2023


Brady landfill blockade dismantled in Winnipeg

Organizers say a new camp is to be set up at the Canadian Museum For Human Rights By Tamara Pimentel APTN News: Elder Geraldine Shingoose smudges a red dress mural painted on the road to the Brady landfill in Winnipeg where a blockade stood moments before. “It breaks my heart today. They just come in and...

July 18, 2023


Two Indigenous men acquitted of murder after 50 years

It’s the first double acquittal for Innocence Canada, a national organization that work to overturn wrongful convictions. APTN News: Two Indigenous men were acquitted of 50-year-old murder convictions Tuesday with the help of Innocence Canada and Manitoba’s top judge. Chief Justice Glenn Joyal told a packed courtroom in Winnipeg that Brian Anderson and Allan (A.J.) Woodhouse were...

July 17, 2023


Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grateful for Support from Leadership at the Assembly of First Nations and CUPE Local 500

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba: July 16 – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) strongly denounces the jurisdictional debates amongst all levels of government to refuse the search for the remains of murdered First Nations women in the Prairie Green landfill in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The AMC is grateful for the support of the Assembly of...

July 14, 2023


Defiant protesters burn injunction after Manitoba judge orders landfill blockade to come down

Police liaison asked protesters if they would leave after injunction came into effect CBC News: Protesters at Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill remained defiant Friday night, ignoring a judge’s order to stop blocking the main road into the facility and burning a copy of the injunction he issued earlier in the day. The main entrance to...

July 14, 2023


NWAC demands immediate resumption of search for women’s remains

NWAC Provincial Co-Chair: “If they are not willing to commit returning our relatives home, we will.” NationTalk: The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) demands that the federal, provincial, and municipal governments take the steps required to begin an immediate search of landfills near Winnipeg for the remains of Indigenous women who are the victims...

July 13, 2023


Stefanson fires back at federal minister, calls his comments on landfill search inflammatory

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller called decision not to search landfill ‘heartless’ CBC News: Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson says a federal minister was reckless and inflammatory when he criticized the province Wednesday over its decision not to search a landfill for the remains of two First Nations women. Premier Heather Stefanson said last week Manitoba won’t support a search of the Prairie Green landfill...

July 12, 2023


First Nations Chiefs Demand Accountability and Support in Search for MMIWG2S Victims at Meeting with Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – Today, Grand Chief Cathy Merrick and members of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) met with Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations Marc Miller to discuss crucial matters affecting First Nations in Manitoba. During the meeting, Chief Kyra Wilson, Long Plain First Nation, sought clarification from Minister Miller regarding the Government...

July 12, 2023


Manitoba’s decision not to search landfill ‘heartless’: Crown-Indigenous relations minister

Provincial government’s move makes landfill search ‘logistically impossible’ this summer, says Marc Miller CBC News: Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller criticized Manitoba Wednesday over what he called the provincial government’s “heartless” decision not to search a landfill north of Winnipeg for the remains of two First Nations women believed to be the victims of a serial killer. Premier Heather Stefanson said...

July 10, 2023


Supporters hold their ground at Winnipeg landfill blockade as noon deadline to leave passes

City of Winnipeg may apply for injunction if talks with demonstrators don’t yield resolution, CAO says CBC News: Dozens of people outside Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill have built barricades and are signalling their unwillingness to leave, despite a noon deadline from the city to vacate the area and the possibility of legal action. Cambria Harris,...

July 10, 2023


Influx of supporters join landfill blockade after ‘act of hate’ at MMIWG mural

‘I can’t see the blockade going down’: supporter CBC News: Protesters blocking the Brady Road landfill south of Winnipeg say their resolve is even stronger after a man shovelled a truckload of soil and debris onto an MMIWG mural near the blockade Sunday. The blockade went up last week after the province refused to fund a search...

July 5, 2023


Statement from Premier Heather Stefanson and Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke on the Final report of the Landfill Search feasibility Study Committee

On behalf of our government and all Manitobans, our deepest condolences continue to go out to the families and loved ones mourning the tragic loss of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois, and Buffalo Woman. Today, we met with a number of family members and Indigenous leadership. In that meeting, we stressed the Manitoba government...

July 5, 2023


Manitoba grand chief shocked after province says it won’t help pay to search landfill for remains

AMC’s Cathy Merrick says province’s concerns about searchers’ safety are addressed in feasibility report CBC News: The leader of the group pushing to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women says she doesn’t buy the Manitoba government’s explanation that it won’t provide funding for the initiative because of safety concerns for those...

June 29, 2023


Leaked report on searching landfill for women’s remains shares how 60,000 tonnes of material could be examined

Proposal includes using temperature-controlled unit to secure possible remains found at Prairie Green landfill WARNING: This story contains distressing details. A search through as much as roughly 60,000 tonnes of materials for the remains of two First Nations women at a landfill near Winnipeg could involve moving thousands of truckloads of garbage, hiring dozens of...

June 19, 2023


Feasibility study says short timeline important for landfill search

The study says one of the most important factors is the time between when a victim’s remains end up in a landfill and when a search begins. A photo of a truck at work at the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg. Photo: Jesse Andrushko/APTN News  APTN News: Searching a landfill in Manitoba for 30 days...

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 10, 2023


‘We’re just brushed away’

The family of a missing Indigenous woman says when police left them in the dark, community stepped in to search WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: It started with a photo posted to Facebook in early March of this year about a missing 37-year old mother who had last been seen in downtown...

June 8, 2023


Manitoba Premier remains mum on funding to search landfill for remains of two women

The Globe and Mail: The decision to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women and who will fund it remains up in the air a month after a feasibility study was completed. The study, conducted by an Indigenous-led committee, estimated it could take up to three years and cost $184...

June 7, 2023


Brother relieved sister missing from Winnipeg found alive

A happy ending is not the usual way missing persons stories end. Red dresses have come to symbolize missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. Photo: Jesse Andrushko/APTN News  APTN News: When Harley Dawes’ sister went missing in Winnipeg last September he was worried. The 22-year-old woman from a First Nation in northern Manitoba was...

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 19, 2023


Winnipeg is the epicentre for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada

By Brittany GuyotMay 19, 2023  Indigenous women account for 65% of homicides in Winnipeg between 2018-22. A gentle breeze pushes through the prairie landscape. Red ribbons can be seen strewn across a chain-link fence at a local landfill. A red dress is also tightly attached. The symbols for missing and murdered Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people...

May 12, 2023


Chiefs, families push for search for remains at Winnipeg landfill that could take years, cost up to $184M

Police believe remains of 2 First Nations women are in Prairie Green landfill Landfill search for remains of First Nations women could cost $183M: study WARNING: This story contains distressing details. To view the video, click on the following link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/landfill-feasibility-study-results-manitoba-1.6840411?cmp=newsletter_Evening%20Headlines%20from%20CBC%20News_1617_1050297 CBC News: A search for the remains of two First Nations women at a...

May 8, 2023


Incarcerated Indigenous women devastated after prison stops them from selling beadwork

Inmates earned money through Women Helping Women Beadwork to help support families on the outside CBC News: A woman who relies on selling beadwork she makes in her cell at a Manitoba women’s prison to support her family is devastated that she’s no longer allowed to do so. Lori Sinclair, who has been on remand at...

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 7, 2023


Hundreds chant ‘we are not trash,’ close Portage and Main in honour of woman found dead in Winnipeg landfill

Supporters come together to call for change after death of Linda Beardy, 33, of Lake St. Martin First Nation WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Hundreds formed a ring around drummers and singers in the middle of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg Friday evening to honour Linda Beardy after the mother...

April 5, 2023


Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Brings Forward Justice Issues for Meeting with Minister of Public Safety Office

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Grand Chief Cathy Merrick and other First Nations leaders from Manitoba met with Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino in Ottawa yesterday to discuss how our governments can work together on common goals of public safety and share solutions from a First Nations perspective....

April 4, 2023


Body of Lake St. Martin First Nation mother, 33, found at Winnipeg landfill

Workers discovered body of Linda Mary Beardy hours after police believe remains were left at Brady landfill WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: The body of a 33-year-old mother from a First Nation in Manitoba has been found in a Winnipeg landfill, and police say they consider the circumstances surrounding her death suspicious. Staff at...

March 30, 2023


Ex-priest, 93, acquitted of indecent assault at Manitoba residential school

Arthur Masse was charged last year in alleged incident at Fort Alexander dating back more than 50 years WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: A retired priest accused of assaulting a First Nations girl at a Manitoba residential school more than 50 years ago has been acquitted. Victoria McIntosh alleged she was assaulted by Arthur Masse,...

March 29, 2023


Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Expresses Concern Over First Nations Over-Incarceration Rates

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, MB – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) issues the following statement on the over-incarceration of First Nations Citizens in Manitoba. On March 17, 2023, the Winnipeg Free Press published an article about Ethan Wildcat, a First Nation man who was handed a harsher sentence then a non-First Nations man facing...

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 13, 2023


Mother files lawsuit alleging racist treatment led to beating death of Anishinaabe son at Headingley jail

Court filing alleges a dozen Manitoba corrections officers beat William Ahmo, shot objects at him WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: A Winnipeg mother is suing the province of Manitoba and corrections officers, claiming racist treatment and excessive force after she says the Anishinaabe father was shot at with objects and beaten by...

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...

February 9, 2023


For 50 days she stood vigil at a Winnipeg landfill. The alleged serial killer charged in her mother’s death goes to court today

Daughter of one of four slain Indigenous women, alleged victims of Jeremy Skibicki, wants to ensure “the landfill isn’t their final resting place.” Toronto Star: WINNIPEG—The red dress trembles in the wind as it clings to a chain-link fence. The symbols of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls are draped all along the perimeter...

February 4, 2023


Digging for answers

The families of an alleged serial killer’s victims want this landfill searched. But how, and by whom? The Globe asked forensics experts, who saw hope that the right techniques could unearth buried remains The Globe and Mail: For months after police determined Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were likely buried at the Prairie Green Landfill,...

December 26, 2022


Almost a fifth of Winnipeg’s homicides this year involved Indigenous women. These are their stories

‘Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are absolutely targeted.… It’s devastating,’ says advocate CBC News: Almost a fifth of the people who died by homicide in Winnipeg this year were Indigenous women, a CBC analysis has found. Of the total of 51 homicides recorded in the city as of Dec. 24, at least 10 involved women who were...

December 13, 2022


Indigenous groups call for federal government to fund searches of Winnipeg-area landfills for remains

Letter signatories say inaction from police, police board have left them to advocate for search alone CBC News: Manitoba First Nations leaders and Indigenous groups have sent a letter calling on the federal government to fund their search of two Winnipeg-area landfills for the remains of homicide victims and call in the United Nations for support....

December 8, 2022


AFN Stands With Family Of Morgan Beatrice Harris And All Mmiwg2s+ Demanding Dignity And Justice

Assembly of First Nations: (Ottawa, ON) – The Assembly of First Nations stands with the families of Morgan Beatrice Harris and Marcedes Myran, who were honoured with a blanketing ceremony by AFN Women’s Council Vice Chair Doris Anderson and Knowledge Keeper Dr. Gwen Point in a ceremony during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly. Before the...

December 6, 2022


Daughters of murdered Winnipeg woman call on police to recover remains from landfill

The Globe and Mail: Daughters of a Winnipeg woman believed to be the victim of an alleged serial killer are calling on police to recover her remains from a local landfill that officials say is not feasible to search. Morgan Harris, 39, was named by Winnipeg police last week as one of four Indigenous women...

December 2, 2022


Alleged Winnipeg serial killer Jeremy Skibicki’s case will go straight to trial, without preliminary hearing

NationTalk: CBC: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Office is saddened by the announcement that accused serial killer Jeremy Skibicki is being charged for the murder of two more First Nations women and one yet unidentified woman. In May 2022, the body of...

November 22, 2022


SCO Launches new survey seeking Citizen Input on Reforming Justice System

NationTalk: ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is launching a new online survey with the goal of seeking input that will assist SCO in advocating for the creation of an effective, equitable, and safe justice system from a First Nations perspective. “One of my principal mandates is to reduce...

November 13, 2022


Statement from Premier Heather Stefanson and Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere on the Anniversary of the Death of Helen Betty Osborne

Today marks the anniversary of the tragic death of Helen Betty Osborne. Osborne was a 19-year-old student from Norway House Cree Nation who had dreams of becoming a teacher. A survivor of Guy Hill Residential School, Osborne chose to further her education through attending high school in The Pas. On the morning of Nov. 13,...

October 23, 2022


Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Raises Concerns Over the Early Morning Eviction of Every Child Matters Encampment

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is concerned over the unnecessary use of force to remove Elders and supporters from the Sacred Fire – Bring the Children Home encampment housed on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building. Demonstrators established the east-side encampment in support of healing after the...

October 11, 2022


Manitoba Government to Advance Priorities at Upcoming Annual Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Justice and Public Safety

Increased Prevalence of Violent Crime, Keeping Illegal Guns Off Streets will be Focus: Goertzen Concerns about increasing violent crime, particularly those committed with knives and illegal guns, will be a priority for the Manitoba government at a meeting between federal, provincial and territorial justice ministers held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia from Oct. 12 to 14,...

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....

October 4, 2021


Manitoba First Nations Survey Priorities to MMIWG Final Report

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. We...

August 9, 2021


Survey on racism experiences

Aug. 9, 2021: Southern Chiefs Organization – Released a new report on First Nation experiences of racism when dealing with police services across Manitoba: “SCO’s First Nation Experiences of Racism in Policing Survey” “A majority of our citizens face racism, and even violence and intimidation, when interacting with police officers that are meant to serve...

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...

March 5, 2021


“The Petty Trespasses Act”

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs – AMC states that “Bill 63 The Petty Trespasses Amendment and Occupiers Liability Amendment Act (Petty Trespasses Act)” introduced for first reading in the Manitoba legislature “attempts to legislate its way into First Nations’ areas of autonomy and jurisdiction. “The AMC cannot allow provincial laws to violate Treaty rights. First Nations...

February 26, 2021


Aboriginal Justice Inquiry

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) – On Aboriginal Justice Awareness Day, AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas called out both the federal and provincial governments on their failure to fully implement the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (AJI). The 1987 trial and outcome of the kidnapping and murder of Helen Betty Osborne led to widespread calls for a...

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 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...