BY KEITH LACEY
[email protected]
Dozens of aboriginal women wiped away tears as elder Liza Mosher
told the audience at a criminal justice panel how terrified she was
when she first walked into Kingston’s Prison for Women decades
ago.
Later those tears turned to smiles as Mosher informed the
audience how that prison has been shut down and a federal
government-sponsored native healing lodge has allowed hundreds of
native women over the past decade to heal their emotional and
psychological scars and lead productive lives.
Mosher was a member of a panel that included regional senior
judge John Poupore, Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson,
assistant Crown attorney Philip Zylberberg, defence counsel Robert
Topp, native court workers and social workers.
Laurentian University’s native studies department professor
Diane Violette, who teaches law in the program, organized the
Criminal Justice Panel on Issues Affecting Aboriginal
Peoples.
More than 120 people attended the three-hour conference Tuesday
night at the University of Sudbury’s Canisius Hall. The panel
discussion focused on a number of areas affecting aboriginals,
including racism, recognition of aboriginal traditions and culture
in the criminal court process, policing, restorative justice
approaches and educational initiatives.
Mosher said her calling to assist native women in trouble with the
law came from the spirits.
“I heard a voice...and at the time I didn’t know what it meant,”
she said. “I started to cry...I wanted to help...I could hear the
spirit of those women crying for help. I’ve never stopped
since.”
She soon realized most native women incarcerated in Kingston
were victims of childhood sexual abuse and most had turned to drugs
and alcohol to ease their pain and committed criminal acts while
heavily under the influence.
Mosher began to introduce traditional native teachings,
including the introduction of sweetgrass and sweatlodges.
She’s also responsible for introducing native programming and ceremonies for female native inmates at the Sudbury District Jail.
