Rallies in Canadian cities that were sparked by the acquittal of a man accused of murdering an Indigenous teen in Winnipeg continued Saturday, including one in Victoria.
The crowd in Victoria, which numbered more than 100, gathered to listen to drumming and speeches and march to the legislature.
“The verdict is a slap in the face for Indigenous peoples, a slap in the face for reconciliation,” said Brianna Marie Dick (Tealiye), of the Songhees/Lekwungen Nation. “Our voice has not been heard, not respected. We have been pushed aside, and that’s not OK.”
On Thursday, a jury in Winnipeg found Raymond Cormier not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose body was pulled from the Red River in the summer of 2014.
Fontaine had been wrapped in a blanket and weighed down by rocks.
Hundreds marched in Winnipeg the following day, where Indigenous leaders reiterated that social services and the justice system are failing Indigenous youth.
Fontaine was in government care and was staying at a hotel when she disappeared.
Dick said that she and her community were at the gathering to show support for Fontaine’s family. “We will do our best to raise Tina’s voice and call for change,” said Dick, a Coast Salish artist. “We are also showing support for other families who are going through this right now.”
Elizabeth VanGrootheest said she went to the rally to show her support for the Aboriginal community.
Born and raised in Victoria, VanGrootheest acknowledges that she lives and works on unceded traditional territory. “We are white settlers. It’s time that settlers take out their own trash,” she said.
Dick said she was happy to see the crowd that came out. “They are here to support us. They realize things need to change. They are here to stand in support together.”
Cormier admitted on undercover police tapes that he had sex with the teen and was heard saying he bet Fontaine was killed because he found out she was only 15.
The defence had argued that the tapes were hard to hear, that the transcriptions could be wrong and that Cormier’s denial to police of any involvement was the real truth.
There was no DNA evidence linking him to Fontaine and experts could not determine how she died.
Rallies were also held Saturday in Montreal and Vancouver.
Signs at many of the events also called for “Justice for Colten,” linking Cormier’s acquittal with one in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Indigenous man Colten Boushie in Saskatchewan.
A sign at the Vancouver event said: “Canada is a serial killer of Indigenous people.”
