The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) welcomes today’s announcement of a new First Nations Justice Strategy endorsed by the BC First Nations Justice Council and the Province of BC.
In its 2017 platform paper, An Agenda for Justice, CBABC recognized that systemic discrimination towards indigenous people needs to be examined at every level of the provision of government services including how policies are framed and services delivered in the administration of justice.
“The experience of Indigenous citizens with our justice system has not been a positive one,” said CBABC president, Ken Armstrong. “CBABC has long advocated for the critical evaluation of policy and program implementation in provincial corrections, policing, legal aid funding, the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and the overall operation of the courts in a manner that meaningfully advances the objective of Reconciliation with BC’s Indigenous people.”
Armstrong continued, “Today we are pleased to see the BC government take this important step forward by endorsing a First Nations Justice Strategy that advances many of CBABC’s recommendations.”
For more on CBABC’s recommended actions on Public Safety & Community Fairness, including the experience of Indigenous citizens, please see An Agenda for Justice.
Media Contact:
Carolyn Lefebvre
604.646.7850
media@cbabc.org