Response to rural crime concerns creates outcry

The lawyer for a family of an aboriginal man fatally shot on a farm says he’s “disgusted” by a resolution on rural crime passed at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention.

The resolution, which passed by 93 per cent Tuesday, calls on the association to lobby the federal government to expand the rights and justification for people to defend themselves, persons under their care and their property.

It says rural crime has increased and people don’t have sufficient rights to protect themselves and property.

“What you’re asking the government of Canada to do is to weigh property rights versus a human life, that’s what it comes down to,” said Chris Murphy, who represents Colten Boushie’s family.

“You’d be asking the Canadian government to permit, let’s just use a rural person, a farmer, to use force against a person who’s committing a property crime.”

Murphy says the Criminal Code already allows people to defend themselves with force if they or their family are threatened.

“So there’s no amendment that has to be made to the Criminal Code in relation to self-defence,” he said.

“What SARM was asking for ... was to be able to essentially defend your property rights by using force. My position clearly is that is not the law in Canada, it never has been the law in Canada and it never should be the law in Canada.”