By Canadian Press

Five years later: Mother of Colten Boushie still demanding change in justice system

Aug 9, 2021 | 4:38 PM

WHITECAP, Sask. — The mother of a young Indigenous man shot and killed five years ago in Saskatchewan says there still needs to be change in the justice system. 

Debbie Baptiste also says she misses her son and wishes for everyone to love their children.

Colten Boushie died on Aug. 9, 2016, after a vehicle the 22-year-old was riding in went onto a farm near Biggar, Sask.

The property’s owner, Gerald Stanley, testified at trial that his gun accidentally went off and a jury acquitted him of second-degree murder.

Earlier this year, a complaints commission found Baptiste faced racial discrimination when RCMP officers told her of her son’s death.

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It said officers questioned Baptiste on her sobriety and told her to “get it together” when she collapsed in grief.

Eleanore Sunchild, a lawyer who represents Baptiste, said the family continues to push for a public inquiry into the case and how RCMP handled it.

Baptiste, Sunchild and others spoke with reporters Monday at on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, just outside of Saskatoon. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations organized the news conference.

“Five years later, we cannot forget about Colten Boushie, and we must remember him every day,” FSIN vice-chief David Pratt said in a news release.

“We also honour his mother, Debbie Baptiste, who has shown immense courage and inspired many to stand up against injustice. We must keep working toward equal justice for First Nations people and continue fighting to overcome the many issues that our people face in the justice system every day.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2021.

The Canadian Press