Tangram

Fair point

scrubbedexpat091

I have a hard time believing all the jurors have an issue with a native so they acquitted the defendant because he was white and the victim native as some in the media have tried to imply.

Unless on the jury, nobody really knows for sure what went on in the deliberation room or why they came to the decision they did.

BristolUK

A pointless point?

BristolUK

Here's an old classic which probably won't mean a thing to non Brits under 50.


Here's a reminder


For everyone else, here's a brief version. Very brief.

bats

Hmmm

Shard

The "apartheid opt-in' is an interesting way of looking at it. Pretty sure that in fifty years history will look back on the government policy of promoting and funding an unsustainable identity with as much disdain as it now looks on residential schools. No favours are being done by enabling this cultural/racial segregation.

However, the parallel with the gypsies is not as sound. For one thing the FN do have their own lands (remote though much of it is) and do have an ancestral claim (unlike the travelling gypsies). I think (in this century) for the most part, Canadians have medium-high regard for the FN, which doesn't really hold for the gypsies in Britain or Europe.

bats

FN might have their own lands as a group but individually you cannot own land on a reserve. All the houses are leasehold.

dbd33

That has not been my impression at all. In Toronto they're thought of as the people who live in the parks and drink a lot. In the west they're held in lower esteem. I know slightly some people who fly in to the far north to provide medical services as a charitable endeavor and even they take a dim view of their clients.

At one point long ago, I, with an aboriginal associate, looked closely at setting up an on reserve computing business to compete with the other Indians. "The third world in your time zone" was a slogan we considered. It soon became clear that it would be a hard sell, Canadian business is not interested in the idea of status Indian suppliers of anything but tax avoided cigarettes.

bats

I agree. You only have to look at FB comments about First Nations to know in what low regard they are held. This is in an area with three reserves none of which are run down.

scrubbedexpat091

I notice a lot more negative thoughts towards Natives in Canada then I saw living along the west coast of the US.

Really people just associate Natives with casinos and outlet malls on the west coast.

No idea about the rest of the US or Alaska.

Former Lancastrian

OK will you settle for the transcript of the Judges instructions to the jury then?

Full transcript of judge’s instructions to Colten Boushie jury: Put yourself in a juror’s shoes | National Post

BristolUK

I started to read but soon lost interest. I assume that "put yourself in juror's shoes" is intended to suggest they felt bound to follow the judge's instructions which pointed to a not guilty verdict.

(I remember a case in the UK - don't remember the name of the judge - but the jury returned its verdict and he criticised them saying they'd ignore the evidence or some such)

But the report said the jury deliberated for 15 hours. That rather sounds anything but automatically following the judge's instructions.

Unless they all agreed to go not guilty but would string it out for an extra meals allowance or something.

Former Lancastrian

I hope you are never on a jury involving me if you easily lose interest unless you are finding me not guilty
The judge didn't point to a not guilty verdict as you imply it was following instructions that he legally has to give them regarding the charges and what they need to legally consider. Sure a verdict could ignore the instructions if it wanted to.

Almost Canadian

I thought the Judge's instructions were fine and certainly provided a more detailed version of events than the media portrayed, as it usually the case.

In any event, what I think is irrelevant. The jury made its decision and we will, likely, never know what they based their decision upon.

BristolUK

No, no, I lost interest in the judge itemising what he was going to do before then doing it
It wasn't my implication but that in the newspaper report.
There was widespread surprise and condemnation of the verdict. The National Post says read this and now imagine you are a juror.

That's a clear explanation of why the writer thinks the jury voted as they did. That's a very strong implication.
Well, yes, that's why a gave a specific example of exactly that happening.

You're a bit quick to rush to judgment.