Source: Kamloops Daily News
Justice Marion Buller Bennett of First Nations Court in New Westminster will be the keynote speaker at the forum, organized by the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc legal department in partnership with the Canadian Bar Association, the B.C. Legal Services Society and the Elizabeth Fry Society in Kamloops.
The forum will address issues of interest to those working with Aboriginal people in conflict with the law while specifically exploring the principles of Gladue. Those principles, adopted in 1999, apply to Aboriginal sentencing.
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the principles must be considered in cases involving long-term violent offenders.
“This is an excellent opportunity to educate those involved in the criminal justice system and to expose the principles of Gladue as well as the day-to-day application,” said Linda Thomas, legal department manager with Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.
Judge Buller Bennett will talk about the Gladue Reports Panel, restorative justice in practice and correctional and probation services for Aboriginal people.
The forum takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Irving K. Barber Centre at TRU’s House of Learning.