Charlottetown rally seeks justice for Colten Boushie's family
Cody MacKay | CBC News | Posted: February 11, 2018 10:04 PM | Last Updated: February 11, 2018
'The time has come to fix the flawed justice system that we have in Canada,' says Chief Brian Francis
About 100 people gathered for a rally in Charlottetown demanding justice for the Colten Boushie family.
People in the crowd huddled closely at the steps of the George Coles Building in Charlottetown holding neon-coloured signs covered with photos of Boushie.
Many signs had #JusticeForColten written across them, sketched for solidarity following a controversial trial that wrapped up Friday night.
- Shouts of 'murderer' in courtroom after Gerald Stanley acquitted in Colten Boushie shooting
- 'We feel like Colten died again': Boushie family, Indigenous leaders say they've lost faith in justice system
Boushie was a 22-year-old Indigenous man from Saskatchewan who was shot in the head after an altercation with farmer Gerald Stanley in August 2016.
My head lays low because I know Colten's story and it's good to see people here today, but it's not enough. — Eliza Knockwood
Stanley was charged with second-degree murder, but a jury acquitted the farmer Friday evening,
"Every day we're dying, every second of every day," Eliza Knockwood told the crowd in Charlottetown.
"What, as Indigenous people, do we need in this country to feel safe, to feel as equal, to feel an ounce of justice in this country? … Colten is the face of all of us Indigenous people."
Time has come to 'fix the flawed justice system'
She, like others who spoke to the crowd on Sunday, said the justice system failed Boushie and that more Canadians should be out in support.
"As an Indigenous woman I'm not shocked, I know a lot of our allies are outraged. I can't even say that I'm outraged, I'm saddened. My head lays low because I know Colten's story and it's good to see people here today, but it's not enough," she told CBC News after her speech.
Chief Brian Francis, of the Abegweit First Nation, said the Canadian justice system has "continually failed" Indigenous people.
He also questioned the fairness of the all-white jury's ability to deliver a fair verdict.
- 'Justice for Colten': Hundreds gather for Boushie support rally in Saskatoon after Stanley not-guilty verdict
- 'Shame on Canada': Vigils being held in N.S. over verdict in Colten Boushie case
"The time has come to fix the flawed justice system that we have in Canada when it comes to our Indigenous peoples," Francis said following the rally.
"The time has come for us to all work together and go in the spirit of true and meaningful reconciliation."
The family of Bouchie questioned the fairness of the jury as well, telling CBC before the trial that the all-white cast of jurors meant "the deck is stacked" against them.
Like Francis, other speakers at the rally spoke to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission — calling on the Trudeau government to find justice for the family.
"There was no reconciliation with the family and with Colten," Judy Clark said. "I couldn't believe what I saw, its a shame that the verdict came back the way it did."
"There needs to be something done."
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