A former Crown prosecutor makes the case for Indigenous justice
When courts in Saskatchewan delivered a verdict of not guilty in the trial of Gerald Stanley, former northern Saskatchewan Crown prosecutor Harold Johnson (LLB'95) said he "immediately shut the radio off."
By CBC RadioStanley was charged with killing 22-year-old Colten Boushie from Red Pheasant First Nation on August 9, 2016. The not guilty verdict divided the province and the country.
Johnson, who is Cree, walked away from a successful career in law because he became convinced the justice system is harming Indigenous people.
The Stanley case spurred him to write a powerful new treatise entitled Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada.
His argument is straightforward — that Canadian criminal law does not deliver justice to Indigenous people. He also holds himself responsible for his own actions while he was a member of the legal profession.
Johnson spoke to The Sunday Edition's Michael Enright about his time as a crown prosecutor and the deficiencies when it comes to Indigenous justice in Canada.
Read their conversation at https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/.