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February 13, 2018
Unifor echoes and amplifies the longstanding demands from Indigenous people for reform of Canada’s broken justice system.
In June of 2017, the union put out a statement for National Indigenous Peoples Day that called on the federal government to take real, measureable actions towards reconciling our past with our future.
At that time, Unifor called for the federal government to provide equal funding for on-reserve child welfare systems and end the discrimination against Indigenous children that has been proven in federal court.
But today, as we grieve for Colten Boushie’s lost life, and for his family and community, we know that this alone is not enough. We must do more, and demand better from our government, our communities and our country.
We must dramatically change Canada’s criminal justice system; the system that found Gerald Stanley not guilty of murder while incarcerating Indigenous people at alarming and increasing rates. In Canada, 22.8 per cent of incarcerated people are Indigenous, while Indigenous people are only 4.3 per cent of the total population.
To say that Indigenous children are valued when injustice and outright violence is allowed to be perpetuated against them is not good enough. Indigenous children must be given the same love and their lives given the same value as every other non-Indigenous child across the country.
Unifor encourages all members to work with local and regional Aboriginal workers and workers of colour committees to support and amplify their calls for justice and to challenge racism and colonialism wherever it takes root.
Follow future actions and demands at www.idlenomore.ca
