Value Of Inquests To Aboriginal People Questioned
Monday, November 29, 2010 at 14:48
The usefulness of inquests is being questioned by an Aboriginal woman in the province.
Melanie Fisher says she wants to see changes made in the process which she believes is failing Aboriginal people.
Fisher is the sister-in-law of Delbert Pelletier, who was shot to death by police on the Muskowekwan reserve a few years ago.
She says she felt prompted to speak after the recent inquest into the death of Canoe Lake teenager Kyle Lariviere determined his death was an accident.
Fisher says inquests seem to favour the establishment and not Aboriginal people.
She says the police and government seem to get the best lawyers while victims’ families often have to fundraise by themselves.
Fisher says it is also frustrating when a family wants to get a witness to the stand to corroborate their version of events, but is turned down by the person running the inquest.
She says that seldom happens to the police or government.
Fisher says the inquest process provides a bit of closure for families, but it doesn’t actually do anything to parties who may have contributed to the death of a loved one.