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Conviction review process should reflect harsh realities of Indigenous women: report

May 16, 2022 | 10:52 AM

OTTAWA — A new report from a group of senators calls on the federal government to make changes to the conviction review process that would better reflect the challenges faced by Indigenous women.

The report by senators Margaret Dawn Anderson, Yvonne Boyer and Kim Pate calls for an approach would recognize the racism, class bias and misogyny experienced by Indigenous women that lead to miscarriages of justice. 

The report details the experiences of 12 Indigenous women, saying they were criminalized for trying to survive and navigate marginalization in society.

It calls on the government to review the cases for possible miscarriages of justice.

The death of David Milgaard, the victim of one of Canada’s most notorious miscarriages of justice, has put renewed attention on Justice Minister David Lametti’s plan to create an independent criminal case review commission.

Lametti is expected to announce next steps on the commission in coming weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2022.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press