Ottawa rep says JSCN inquest should be attracting national interest

The inquest into the mass murders on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon is attracting national attention, but it’s not as widespread as some would like.

Kim Beaudin, the national vice-chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) in Ottawa, told reporters in Melfort on Friday he felt it was important for him to attend the inquest.

As a sitting member of the National Indigenous Advisory Committee to Corrections and as the individual responsible for the justice portfolio for CAP, Beaudin feels there’s a national interest in the events being laid out in Melfort regarding the killings committed by Myles Sanderson on Sept. 4, 2022.

However, Beaudin called out Anne Kelly, commissioner of Correctional Service Canada, for not being in attendance.

“She should have been here,” Beaudin said.

Noting that some questions asked of witnesses on the stand have gone unanswered or have been poorly responded to, Beaudin said there are answers Kelly could have offered if she had been in attendance.

READ MORE:

• Day 1: Jury selection, first witness at James Smith Cree Nation inquest
• Day 2: Emotions intensify as testimony continues at JSCN inquest
• Day 3: RCMP witness at JSCN inquest discusses drug trade, warrants
• Day 4: RCMP witness apologizes to veteran’s family at JSCN inquest
• Day 5: Psychologist shares assessment of Myles Sanderson at JSCN inquest
• Day 6: Inquest hears Sanderson wasn’t among Sask.’s most wanted before attacks
• Day 7: Sanderson’s release from custody scrutinized at JSCN inquiry
• Day 8: Parole officers, program facilitator detail Sanderson’s progress in prison
• Day 9: Psychologist offers apologies to families during JSCN inquest

Beaudin shared his intention to bring the recommendations from the Melfort inquest to an advisory committee in March, as well as his desire to reach out himself to families affected by the tragedy.

“It’s important that their voices be heard,” he said.

Further, Beaudin said he hopes a representative from the Parole Board of Canada will also attend and wants to see a national inquiry into the mass killings take place.

Beaudin said the national scope of the inquest makes him believe there is a national interest in the information being shared this month in Melfort — particularly on the policy matters around the release of individuals, whether on bail or other conditions.

Beaudin believes what happened with Sanderson will have a direct impact on how Canadians perceive bail hearings and how bail in Canada is awarded.

“I know that impacts Indigenous people overall,” he shared.

When asked how to improve the justice system after being at the inquest, Beaudin said Indigenous people — community members — need to be extensively involved throughout the system.

“These are important policy issues that we need to have a deep discussion about,” he told reporters, “because if this is going to keep happening, we need to address it.

“This is important.”

Beaudin said he think it’s difficult to say if the situation might have turned out differently if there was more Indigenous involvement in Sanderson’s case. He said the James Smith Cree Nation community and Sanderson’s family could have taken more responsibility in turning Sanderson in to authorities.

He also noted the importance of mental health as a key issue in the inquest proceedings.

“That really jumped out to me,” he said, mentioning a previous inquest in Prince Albert he was familiar with that had dealt with many similar themes.

The lack of recommendations in the proceedings surprised Beaudin, who said he feels witnesses in corrections, particularly, may be cautious in giving opinions about the system that employs them.

Whatever recommendations do come out of the inquest, Beaudin doesn’t hold much hope to see them implemented. Past reports have yielded little change, he said, and he suggested that greater changes to the system may have to happen in other ways before the system becomes more open to suggestions for adjustments.

Beaudin said this sort of pain can be felt across the country in various Indigenous communities and noted systemic problems within communities are not limited to James Smith.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Beaudin said. “It’s unfortunate what has happened to our people and we need to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick