Lets find a path to reconciliation

Re: Trial outcome goes beyond individuals involved, Feb. 12.

I have followed the details of this sad case, and I agree that it reveals serious flaws that require reform within our justice system. This should concern all Canadians, because we all benefit when the justice system functions properly. Today, an Indigenous person is treated unfairly; tomorrow, it could be you.

I appreciate Doug Cuthand’s affirmation of First Nations’ belief in natural justice and the elders’ admonition to allow this to take its course. Reform is necessary, and hopefully the Colten Boushie case can give some direction for reforms that will help our justice system function better. The alternative — taking matters into our own hands by mob or vigilante action — is no improvement on our current justice system, flawed though it be.

Regretfully, Cuthand uses language that pits oppressors against victims (for example, invoking “white privilege and dominance”), which is not only unhelpful in a true path toward reconciliation, but can be dangerous in justifying a victim group’s attempts to bring about justice through its own violent actions. Dwelling on past injustice is not the way forward.

Cuthand points to the real failure here: “When court adjourns, the two groups walk out and go their separate ways. There is no interaction or even acknowledgment between the two groups.”

That is how this sad story began, and it is how it ended. Dan Kaiser, Ottawa