‘I’m here to demand justice’: Regina rally shows support for Tina Fontaine

More than 100 people rallied outside Regina’s Court of Queen’s Bench and marched down Victoria Avenue Saturday afternoon calling for change.

“Now we live in a greater fear that our own government is not protecting us, not ensuring that the systemic racism comes to an end,” organizer Chasity Delorme said.

That message comes just days after a jury found Raymond Cormier not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Indigenous Winnipeg teen Tina Fontaine.

The 15-year-old’s body was pulled from the Red River in August 2014, wrapped inside a duvet cover and weighed down with rocks.

“I think our justice system and all of Canada have failed Tina Fontaine and I’m here to demand justice and express love for her and her family,” one participant said.

The verdict renewed calls to overhaul the justice and child welfare system, that many say failed the teen.

“I hope that if I were to go missing, or get murdered, I hope that something would happen. But I know that nothing would happen and nothing would change and I would still be another statistic,” 18-year-old Tai Cook said.

Similar sentiments echoed at other rallies across the country from Vancouver to Montreal.

“It’s time that Canadians start educating themselves on the issues because we are treated as criminals regardless of whether we are dead or alive,” Ellen Gabriel of Mohawks of Kanesatake said.

It’s the second time in two weeks similar demonstrations have taken place. Many say they are still getting over the shock after a Saskatchewan farmer was found not guilty in the death of 22-year-old Indigenous man Colten Boushie.

Organizers add they will not stop their fight for justice and calls for change.

“We’re going to keep marching and we’re going to keep coming out and we’re going to rely a lot on our allies to keep this conversation going and keep the numbers growing in the streets. We’re just going to hope for change,” organizer Nickita Longman said.