Reconciliation conference pauses to discuss not guilty verdict in Tina Fontaine case

A national youth conference on reconciliation in Sudbury put workshops on hold Friday morning to let participants join talking circles to discuss how the not guilty verdict in the Raymond Cormier trial was affecting them.

A jury found Cormier not guilty of second-degree murder Thursday in the death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose body was found in the Red River in Winnipeg in August 2014.

Dani Lanouette learned of the verdict on Twitter. "I felt this sinking feeling in my chest," said the 20-year-old Anishinaabe student from Ottawa. "It kind of feels like a punch to the gut."

She's one of 250 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth from across Canada in Sudbury for the three-day Canadian Roots Exchange National Reconciliation Conference.

"We were able to have a talking circle [Thursday] night with those who wanted to participate, and to see how we were all affected by it in different ways, but all having that same feeling of heartbreak and anger and sadness. It goes to show that one of our people hurts, we all hurt together," added Lanouette.

'Unspeakable sadness and unspeakable rage'

To keep those healing discussions going, organizers amended the schedule Friday morning to set aside space to allow youth to talk about Fontaine's death and the verdict.

Canadian Roots Exchange co-executive director Max FineDay said he felt "unspeakable sadness and unspeakable rage" when he learned that Cormier was acquitted.

"This verdict has impacted a lot of the young people at this conference," said FineDay, originally from Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan. "I think we all who have Indigenous young people in our lives have to tell them that they are loved and they are valued, and that we value their lives."

In the wake of the verdict, FineDay said talk of reconciliation at the conference had to take a back seat. "Young people are not interested in reconciling with a country who continues to fail us. If this is what Canada has in store for reconciliation, then they can keep it."

"These things shouldn't be happening anymore," said Amber Beaulieu, 27, from Winnipeg. "And while we did talk about the hardships of it, and the injustices against Indigenous people, we also talked about policy change, and how we can actually change things to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

The Cormier verdict came nearly two weeks after the not guilty verdict for Gerald Stanley, who was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie from Red Pheasant First Nation in Saskatchewan.

'Incredible support'

"When you hear about Tina, and...Colten, it's hard to see our people like that and go through this," said 21-year-old Bradley Shawanda from Sheguiandah First Nation on Manitoulin Island. But he said the supportive environment of the Sudbury conference has helped.

"We're a group of youth from all over Canada. We've come together to support each other. We're there to help each other and keep moving forward," he added.

"There's incredible support that we've seen from participants to help talk through this process, from non-Indigenous participants to Indigenous participants," said FineDay. 

"There might not be the same level of understanding of why this matters so much, of how it is just one more example of how systems fail us, but without doubt the participants have come together to support one another, to talk through these issues, and to remain hopeful that there's solutions forward."