Indigenous witnesses can now swear on eagle feather
Indigenous witnesses now have option to swear on eagle feather in courtrooms
Indigenous witnesses now have the option to swear on an eagle feather and not the Bible when testifying in Alberta courts.
All three courts in Alberta introduced the changes at twin ceremonies in Edmonton and Calgary on Friday, recognizing the feathers in every courtroom across the province.
The eagle feather option had previously been allowed in certain courtrooms, like those in Athabasca, Lethbridge, St. Paul and Wetaskiwin. Witnesses previously had to swear on a Bible or affirm their testimony.
“To us as Indigenous people that really binds our sacredness, our truth to the Creator and our trust and our respect, so we’re bound to tell the truth,” said Ivan Ladouceur, an Indigenous provincial court judge. “It has that very calming feeling to the people, that feeling of being respected and in a trustworthy place and they feel at home. They’re not just a number in court.”
Ladouceur told the crowd he has been bringing a feather to his courtroom for some time and swore on a feather when he was brought to the bench.
Treaty 6 Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild shared a similar story, noting that when he was sworn to the Alberta bar, he too used an eagle feather.
“That was in 1977, so welcome Alberta,” said Littlechild. “This is a tremendous act of reconciliation.”
Alberta Chief Justice Catherine Fraser said the courts have been working on implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action for a number of years.
“These ceremonies today are really bringing to the public’s attention the fact that in our multicultural community there are different ways that individuals can give testimony in courts and bind their conscience,” said Fraser. “This is one thing that has been done, one tiny step but an important step in recognizing the importance of having Indigenous culture reflected in our justice system.”
Recognizing the steps taken Friday, Ladouceur said more needs to be done within the justice system to address the great numbers of Indigenous people flowing through the court systems.
He said that more than 80 per cent of the people he sees on an average day in his St. Paul courtroom are Indigenous.
“This is just one small step for us to improve the court system for our people,” said Ladouceur. “We have to go further, we have to go to a healing and wellness court. Right now, our courts are all directed to deterrents, denunciation and punishment. We have to turn that around to try to help the people.”