Statement made on 10 March 2009 by Senator Lillian Eva Dyck
Hon. Lillian Eva Dyck:
Honourable senators, my question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate. It is with regard to violence against Aboriginal women.
For those Aboriginal women who have been physically or sexually assaulted or murdered, the history across the country, including in Saskatchewan, has shown that the male perpetrators — usually White men — who go to trial receive sentences that seem to be too lenient for the crime that has been committed and for which they have been convicted. There have been two such cases in Saskatchewan. With the indulgence of honourable senators, I will go over them briefly to indicate the seriousness of the situation.
The first example we can refer to as the infamous Tisdale case. A 12-year-old Aboriginal girl was picked up by three White men who attempted to sexually assault her. One of the men was convicted and given a two-year conditional sentence, served at home; the other two were acquitted. They went to retrial, where one was re-acquitted. In a third case, the man was let go because the jury was hung, and a decision was made not to go to trial again. Justice was denied to the 12-year-old Aboriginal girl.
In the second example, in Regina, Pamela George, a 28-year-old mother of two, was beaten to death by two White men. They were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six and a half years in prison. One of the men was released after serving four years of his sentence. It was argued that the charge of first degree murder was not appropriate because Pamela George was a sex trade worker. Justice was denied to Pamela George.
How, then, does this government intend to toughen criminal legislation in order to protect Aboriginal women, who are five times more likely to die due to violence than non-Aboriginal women?
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