Canada at risk of two-tier system

I had great hopes for the truth and reconciliation process, but now I fear it is little more than gloss and icing.

I realized this during the trial of Gerald Stanley for the second-degree murder of Colten Boushie.

From the onset, the defence ensured that no Indigenous viewpoint would be allowed by making peremptory challenges against any candidate who was Aboriginal.

No heed was given to the cultural or societal concerns of witnesses who were Aboriginal.

When being examined, people were put in positions where they not only felt uncomfortable, but were actually distressed.

Is this justice? Perhaps it is for those who care little about changing the wrongs we have committed against others.

What would it be like if a non-Aboriginal was accused of committing a crime and the jury was entirely Aboriginal?

Canada is at a crossroads; we have an opportunity to recognize and change racist behaviour. The events in Saskatchewan did not contribute to positive change.

We point at other nations and condemn them for human rights abuses or for poor race relations.

Canada has failed to set a good example in this case, and is in danger of creating a two-tier justice system — one for Aboriginal people and one for everyone else. Anne Hamre, Edmonton