Mi'kmaq justice leader seeks 'equity' in P.E.I. courts

A pilot project is winding down that Indigenous leaders on P.E.I. say helped ensure justice for Aboriginal offendersin P.E.I. courts.

The one-year funding arrangement with the province paid for Gladue reports,prepared bythe Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI.

"It's about equity in criminal sentencing," said Lori St. Onge, director of aboriginal justice forMCPEI.

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Gladuereports, named after the Aboriginal woman from B.C. who established the legal precedent in 1999,are prepared by First Nations communities to supply judges with background information on offenders. They providesocial and cultural context, andmay includedetails of past victimization of the offenders, such as physical or sexualabuse, alcohol and drug addictions.

The report writers will go into the community andoften interview the offender, and family members, sometimes going back generations to understand the history of the offender.

Over the past year, the confederacycompiledabout adozen reports for use by P.E.I. judges as they determined jail sentences for Aboriginal offenders.

Aboriginal people are over-represented in Canada's prisons- Lori St. Onge, Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island

Last month, a Gladue report was used in sentencinga man who had pleaded guilty to sex offences against threechildren. The judge sent him to prison for two years, and to probation for three years upon his release. The judge said restorative justice measures, as prescribed by Aboriginaljustice leaders,might be explored during the probationary period.

"Canada's Aboriginalpeople are over-represented in Canada's prisons," said St. Onge, "Offenders who plead guilty to their crimes have a legal right to request a Gladue report."

P.E.I. court re-affirms legal right

That legal right was re-confirmed in a recent decision by the P.E.I. court of appeals. In that case, an Indigenous offender hadhis sentence over-turned because a Gladue report had not been prepared.

Each report costs about $1,500 to prepare, according to the Mi'kmaq Confederacy.

The confederacy is now exploring funding options, as the pilot project that provided provincial fundingwinds down.

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