Saskatchewan bishops urge reconciliation after verdict
SASKATOON Ten Saskatchewan-religious leaders called for people all over the province to pursue reconciliation with “renewed passion and commitment” following Gerald Stanley’s acquittal in the shooting death of Colten Boushie.
In a statement issued Friday morning, Anglican, Catholic and Lutheran bishops echoed statements made earlier this week by Premier Scott Moe, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark, Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand and others.
In an interview Friday morning, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen said it is equally important that he and the other nine bishops who signed the statement do more than simply speak out.
“There is a time to speak, and the bishops discerned this is a time to speak, and to speak collectively. We’re all trying to follow up the words with actions and it’s interesting how we’re helping each other to do that, but we’ve got a ways to go,” he said.
Boushie, a 22-year-old Cree man from Red Pheasant First Nation, was fatally shot on Aug. 9, 2016, after he and four friends drove onto Stanley’s Biggar-area farm following a day of swimming and drinking.
The incident polarized the province and exposed a divide between Indigenous groups worried about decades of systemic injustice and rural landowners concerned about crime.
Stanley testified at his trial that someone appeared to have been trying to steal his quad, and that the fatal shot was an accident, possibly caused by a malfunction known as a hangfire.
The 12-member jury, which appeared to be all-white, acquitted him a week ago.
The decision prompted rallies of support for the Boushie family across the country, as well as a torrent of racist and hate-filled online comments.
Moe told reporters this week that racist comments have no place in Saskatchewan, saying people must have difficult conversations about reconciliation in the wake of the jury’s decision.
Speaking at a news conference in Saskatoon the day after the verdict, Arcand called on non-Indigenous leaders across the province to contribute to reconciliation and “be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
Hagemoen said it’s especially important for churches to work toward reconciliation given their involvement, alongside government and other institutions, in past injustices, notably the Indian residential school system.
“Churches have been working hard to be a part of confronting and dealing with that history, and then moving forward together given that history,” he said, adding it’s important for everyone to “be the change you want to see.”