Colten Boushie’s family. Photo courtesy of Dean Bear.
The family of Colten Boushie was honoured at the FSIN Health Summit in Saskatoon.
Boushie was shot in August of 2016 when the vehicle Boushie was in drove into a yard to ask for assistance with car troubles.
Biggar-area farmer Gerald Stanley has been charged with second-degree murder in relation to the matter and will go to trial later this year.
FSIN Vice Chief Heather Bear says it was important for the family to be at the summit and to be presented with star blankets to help them with the grieving process.
“We know and understand they are going through a very difficult time, and as leaders in health, it’s all about the well-being of our families and communities. We know that they have some difficult times ahead,” said Bear.
Boushie’s uncle Alvin Baptiste says it was an honour for his family to be at the conference and to be honoured in such a way. He says there is still a lot of healing that needs to take place, and he wants to seek knowledge from his elders on how to move forward.
“I want to heal, my family wants to heal. I don’t want to carry this anger in life. It affects your life, totally,” said Baptiste.
The First Nations Health Summit, hosted by the FSIN, brings together First Nations leadership and health experts from Saskatchewan to discuss critical issues, such as mental health, the opioid crisis, HIV/AIDS, culturally responsive models to health care, health funding and First Nations health governance.
The theme of the conference is “Treaty Right to Health.” It refers to the clause in Treaty 6, which talks of the Medicine Chest.
First Nations people say that the medicine chest clause talks about health care.
Bear says the erosion of treaty rights to health has been happening more in the last few years. She says health care funding for First Nations should be through treaty-based funding agreements.
“We need to determine our own destiny, we know our priorities,” added Bear. “It’s time for reconciliation, and time to put some resources in the right place for health as determined by our own people, and not someone in government.”