Aboriginal justice recommendations released
Closing the women's jail in Portage la Prairie, developing a policy for Metis people and setting up a new institute to train aboriginal justice staff are just three of the 60 recommendations the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission released Tuesday.
The commission was formed in 1999 to put in place the recommendations of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, which resulted in almost 300 recommendations.
- RELATED LINK: The AJIC's 60 Recommendations
David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, says he's pleased with the report's recommendations. Chartrand says that while the report contains no specific recommendations dealing with a separate justice system for aboriginal people, the blue print is there.
"Well, it's there, but in a roundabout way," said Chartrand. "In order for us to have a separate justice system, we need to build the building blocks in place.
"Once you have the building blocks in place, you can start delivering the service that is more supportive of the community's needs," he said. "That's what this can lead to."
Chartrand says he is particularly pleased with the recommendation that calls for a comprehensive policy for Metis people on the issue of jurisdiction.
The recommendation says the federal government has a responsibility to the Metis people because they were the first to sign a treaty with the Canadian government in the 1800s.
The policy outlines the rights of Metis with respect to land claims and fishing.
The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry was launched in 1988 in response to the murder of Helen Betty Osborne, a Cree teenager in The Pas and the shooting of native leader J.J. Harper by a Winnipeg police officer.
- From March 17, 2000 Native commission's recommendations to be implemented