Harper: Training for judges should include Indigenous perspectives – Calgary Herald
September 21, 2017
In Canada, all judges and those applying to be judges must soon take additional training to address sexual assault cases.
The Judicial Accountability through Sexual Assault Law Training Bill is intended to correct the overt deficiencies within the criminal justice system regarding sexual violence against women and girls. However, one conspicuous area not being addressed by Bill C-337, which the Senate will be discussing in a second reading this fall, is the fact that Indigenous women are often targets of judicial bias in sexual assault cases.
More and more Indigenous women will become entangled in the criminal justice system, according to demographics projections; at 36 per cent of the federal prison population, they are highly over-represented. All attempts at adjusting the judicial system must therefore take into account the blatantly tragic status quo regarding Indigenous women.
