元 芳，这案子你怎么看?

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　　　　　　Colten Boushie was killed on a farm near Biggar, Sask. in August 2016. (Facebook)

Federal ministers say the country must do better for Indigenous peoples in the Canadian justice system after a Saskatchewan jury found Gerald Stanley not guilty of killing Colten Boushie.

Justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Indigenous services minister Jane Philpott both posted on Twitter they want more to be done.

Justin Trudeau echoed those statements, offering his condolences to Boushie's family.

"I'm not going to comment on the process that led to this point today, but I am going to say we have come to this point as a country far too many times," he told reporters Saturday morning.

"I know Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians alike know that we have to do better."

But some question the ministers speaking publicly on a judicial decision.

"Inappropriate" was the word former justice minister Peter MacKay used to describe the posts.

"It undermines the system of justice, quite frankly, to have politicians weigh in," he said, adding the case could still be appealed, so they are technically commenting on a case currently before the courts.

Unwarranted skepticism of a properly conducted trial will set a dangerous precedent, MacKay concluded.

'Very rare' politicians speak up
This outreach from federal politicians is virtually unprecedented, according to Glen Luther, a criminal law expert from the University of Saskatchewan.

"It's very rare," he said Saturday. "The federal government is actually taking it seriously."

Ministers using a specific trial to point to issues in the justice system could provide a much-needed wake-up call, he added.

"It does fall on the federal government to fix that, they're in charge of the justice system, they're the ones that can make the reforms."

Perry Bellegarde, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, is anxiously waiting to hear what the government is planning to do.

"Those are positive statements from very high levels," he said. "They get it, but now we have to see the proof in the pudding … sooner [rather] than later."

But the shifting tones also caused blowback on social media against Wilson-Raybould, as people interpreted her comments as questioning the proceedings.

"Are the Liberals suggesting that our courts return verdicts that they approve of?" one response said.

"Respectfully, the AG and prime minister should not be commenting on cases, especially such a divisive one," said another.

However, Luther said it's more likely the tweets were directed at the system in general, and not meant to criticize the judge or jurors.

Indigenous leaders push for change
Indigenous leaders are pushing for change as well, calling on the federal government to step in when the verdict was handed down Friday evening.

• Day 6'There is no justice!': outrage grows after Gerald Stanley found not guilty

• Cross-Canada rallies in support of Boushie family follow acquittal in his shooting death

Boushie, 22, and four others from the Red Pheasant Cree Nation drove onto Stanley's property on Aug. 9, 2016. After an altercation with Stanley, his son and wife, Boushie was shot in the head.

Prospective Indigenous jurors were rejected by the defence team, according to courtroom observers.

 

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Protests across Canada after Gerald Stanley acquitted in killing of Colten Boushie

Protesters gather in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto to protest the verdict in his murder trial of Colten Boushie who was shot on a farm in Saskatchewan on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018. Chris Donovan/THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Canadian Press
Published February 10, 2018Updated 39 minutes ago

Protestors gathered across the country amid a chorus of outrage the day after a white farmer was acquitted in the shooting death of a young Indigenous man in Saskatchewan.

A jury in Battleford, Sask., found Gerald Stanley not guilty of second degree murder on Friday in the death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie, a resident of the Red Pheasant First Nation.

Read also: Gerald Stanley acquitted in the shooting death of Colten Boushie
Opinion: How the justice system let race taint the Stanley verdict

Battleford was one of many communities that planned gatherings today to protest the ruling.

Other protests and vigils were planned in Halifax, Toronto and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

The sound of people chanting a Cree honour song mixed with the noon bells of the Peace Tower on the Hill, and event organizer Lynne Courchene says that Stanley's acquittal symbolizes systemic racism in the justice system.

Courchene says she wasn't surprised by the decision, the makeup of the jury and the reported absence of anyone of Indigenous descent.

Eight-year-old Mariposa Horsley stood beside her mother and brother and held a sign that said, "Everybody matters."

"I have a best friend who is Inuit. Her mother is actually a throat singer," she said.

"I thought it would be nice to come because I don't think we should be against people just because of the colour of their skin. It's not fair."

Saskatchewan MP Georgina Jolibois said she was shocked by the court decision, which she described as disturbing.

"As Indigenous people, we give each other support when we're hurting. And that's why I'm here," said Jolibois, who is a former mayor of La Loche, Sask.

Jolibois said she and other Indigenous leaders would like to see an inquiry called.

The ruling prompted First Nations leaders and federal politicians to call for widespread change in the justice system.

 

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/cameron-moe-gerald-stanley-colten-boushie-1.4529784

 

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The emotions were raw at demonstrations across Canada on Saturday to protest the acquittal of a white Saskatchewan farmer in the shooting death of a young Indigenous man.

The atmosphere was particularly charged at a rally in North Battleford, where the victim’s mother delivered an angry, defiant address near the courthouse where the verdict was delivered the night before.

“White people – they run the court system. Enough. We’re going to fight back,” Debbie Baptiste told a crowd of roughly 100 people, some of whom carried signs reading Indigenous Lives Matter.

“They’re not sweeping us under the carpet. Enough killing our people. We fight back.”

The defence for Gerald Stanley had argued that his gun accidentally went off, killing 22-year-old Colten Boushie with a single shot to the back of the head in a “freak accident.”

“That ain’t no freak accident,” said Baptiste. “Go to hell, Gerald Stanley. That’s where you belong.”

Alvin Baptiste, Boushie’s uncle, said it has been a difficult time for the family, but he called the rallies a good start toward changing the system.

“I want to take this all the way to Ottawa,” he said. “Indigenous people have never received justice throughout Canada. This is white-privileged justice that has happened to my family. A whitewash.”

Baptiste said he had a meeting scheduled with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in Saskatoon on Saturday, but he also wants to sit down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“The prime minister has spoken so many words, but has never heard our words,” he said.

Trudeau addressed the case Saturday at a news conference in Los Angeles, where he was wrapping up a trip to the U.S.

“I’m not going to comment on the process that led us to this point today, but I am going to say we have come to this point as a country far too many times,” he said.

“Indigenous people across this country are angry, they’re heartbroken, and I know Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians alike know that we have to do better.”

READ MORE: Experts, Indigenous advocates renew call for more diversity on juries

Supporters of the Boushie family held rallies in cities across the country Saturday to show solidarity. In Edmonton, where several hundred people gathered at the city’s police headquarters, Dale Janvier called for people to make Boushie a martyr.

“If we need a martyr, then this would be a martyr right here. Hopefully it’s a martyr of peace, not revenge, and Colten’s death could be for something,” Janvier told reporters after addressing the crowd.

Hundreds also attended a rally in Toronto, where Shandra Spears Bombay of the Rainy River First Nation said it always is surprising to see how the government and justice system can continue to disappoint Canada’s Indigenous people.

“It’s always a shock to see how far that Canada’s racism can go,” said Bombay. “I know it’s there, I know it’s pervasive, but sometimes when they don’t have a hope in heck of being innocent, they’re still found innocent of shooting someone in the head.”

At an Ottawa rally, the sound of people chanting a Cree honour song mixed with the noon bells of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.

Eight-year-old Mariposa Horsley stood beside her mother and brother and held a sign that read Everybody Matters.

“I have a best friend who is Inuit. Her mother is actually a throat singer,” she said.

“I thought it would be nice to come because I don’t think we should be against people just because of the colour of their skin. It’s not fair.”

READ MORE: Gerald Stanley found not guilty of murder of Colten Boushie

Kurt Littlewood, who was at the Edmonton rally, noted the tragedy of the shooting goes back further than the incident on Stanley’s farm, and that he feels some sympathy for the man.

Littlewood said Stanley’s actions were born out of the thefts and other incidents his neighbours in the region had experienced, as well as the animosity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

“Actions taken against Colten were just a moment of blind rage against a situation,” said Littlewood. “Still, I would like Stanley and others to accept the responsibility, take hold of what they did, and that they can bring peace to both communities,” Littlewood said.

 

[wangmayou]

@ccc ，是不是先给元芳翻译一下。

 

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@ccc ，是不是先给元芳翻译一下。

元 芳精通8国英语。