Debbie Baptiste holds a photo of her son Colten Boushie. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW)

By paNOW Staff/Canadian Press

Boushie family says watchdog report proves discrimination

Mar 20, 2021 | 1:23 PM

The family of Colten Boushie is reacting to the findings of an independent probe of the RCMP’s conduct during the investigation of his shooting death.

On Saturday morning, the lawyers representing the Boushie family issued a release to say the family was pleased with the findings of the Civilian Review Complaints Commission (CRCC) which addressed the ‘insensitive’ way Boushie’s mother was notified of his death, among other issues.

The release from lawfirms Murphys and Sunchild Law said the report has found the RCMP discriminated against the family “because they are Indigenous, and that the RCMP fueled racial tensions in the wake of Colten’s death.”

Boushie, 22, died from a gunshot wound to the head after he and four others drove onto Gerald Stanley’s farm near Biggar in August of 2016. A jury found Stanley, 56, not guilty of second-degree murder.

A month after the verdict in 2018, the CRCC launched an investigation after Boushie’s family members filed a complaint about the conduct of some of the officers. The findings of the report will include recommendations, which are not legally binding, and which suggestions the RCMP accepts.

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The commission found the way officers treated Boushie’s mother when they notified her of his death amounted to discrimination based on race.

The report detailed how one officer questioned Debbie Baptiste about whether she had been drinking, while someone also told her to “get it together.”

“The RCMP members provided Ms. Baptiste with little information about what had happened to her son, but proceeded to question her and look in places in her home where no person could be hiding,” it read.

“Not only did the RCMP members’ actions show little regard or compassion for Ms. Baptiste’s distress and pain, they compounded her suffering by treating her as if she was lying.”

It says one officer also checked a microwave where Baptiste told them she had placed her son’s dinner.

“After spending the evening fearing that something had happened to her son and just seeing her worst fears realized, Ms. Baptiste saw her home encircled by a large number of armed police officers and had to endure this treatment from the RCMP members who remained in her home for about 20 minutes,” the report read.

“She was then left with a lasting and painful memory of her interactions with the RCMP, and few answers about what had happened to her son.”

The Boushie family will hold a press conference on Monday.

“Meaningful action must be taken to right wrongs and to restore trust and dignity,” Chris Murphy, lawyer for Debbie Baptiste said in the release. “The foundation of the relationship between the RCMP and Indigenous peoples teeters on a knife’s edge while the public watches. The RCMP will decide on which side the organization will fall.”

More reaction from the family and details from the commission’s findings will be released when the CRCC report is made available to the general public, expected by Monday.

-With files from the Canadian Press

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow