B. C. court rules American Indigenous man has right to hunt in Canada

NELSON, B. C. — An American Indigenous man’s right to hunt in Canada has been upheld by a judge because his ancestors traditionally hunted in this country. Richard Desautel was charged with violations under British Columbia’s Wildlife Act after he shot and killed a cow elk near Castlegar in 2010.

Desautel, a member of the Lakes Tribe in Washington state, argued in provincial court that he was exercising his constitutional right to hunt for ceremonial purposes and was acquitted of the charges in March. But the Crown appealed to the B. C. Supreme Court, arguing that Desautel is not an Aboriginal person of Canada because the First Nation he claims to be a member of was declared extinct, so he doesn’t have that constitutional right.