After a Saskatchewan farmer was found not guilty in the second-degree murder of an Indigenous man, his family is rallying for change to Canada’s judicial system.
Over the weekend, Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley was found not guilty in the shooting death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie.
Grieving relatives of Colten Boushie are now crying out for changes to the way jurors are chosen.
The changes were called for after Boushie’s family members expressed outrage over the jury picked to oversee their son’s murder trial. They claim the jury didn’t appear to have any visibly Indigenous people.
Senator Murray Sinclair echos the desire for jury reform, calling the acquittal of Gerald Stanley “unthinkable.”
“We have been talking about this problem for a long time and now we see the result of that,” Sinclair said.
Sinclair said he has been pushing for change on jury reform since 1991 and vows to push for it in Ottawa.
“There are laws that can be changed and the laws that contributed to this I think need to be reviewed,” Sinclair said.
When it comes to change to jury reform in Manitoba, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson wouldn’t make any promises.
“As the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Manitoba, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on this,” Stefanson said.