The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is calling for more Indigenous representation on juries in Saskatchewan.
The demand follows complaints from the family of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old man from the Red Pheasant First Nation who was shot and killed on a farm near Biggar, Sask., in August 2016. None of the jurors selected in the trial of Gerald Stanley, who is charged in his death, are visibly Indigenous.
The justice system needs to change to better reflect the province’s Indigenous population, said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron.
“The family needs justice. They felt the jury selection process was unfair — which it was — so things like that have to change,” Cameron said.
In an email reply to CTV News, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice said it is “confident in the jury selection process and the administration of justice in Saskatchewan.”
The ministry also said it would be inappropriate to comment on the Stanley trial, as it is ongoing.
Any changes to peremptory challenges, which allow the Crown and defence to object to a juror without giving a reason, would require careful consideration, according to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
“Nonetheless, the underrepresentation of Indigenous jurors is an issue in several provinces and it is a reality I find concerning,” Wilson-Raybould said in a statement. “I support the ongoing work of the National Judicial Institute on the issue of jury selection and the under-representation of Indigenous jurors.”
Indigenous people make up 16.3 per cent of Saskatchewan’s population, according to the 2016 census by Statistic Canada.
