The 2016 shooting death of a young Indigenous man in Saskatchewan was a dominant topic of conversation at a Monday morning town hall meeting between Premier Kathleen Wynne and Laurentian University students.
There have been protests across the country since Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley was found not guilty Friday of second degree murder in Colten Boushie's death.
The case was referenced by several speakers at the event, held in Laurentian University's new Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre, which opened its doors in 2017.
One woman asked Wynne whether she has the attributes as a leader “to demand and seek justice for Colten and other Indigenous people so we don't lose another life.”
“I'm working hard to find ways to do better,” Wynne said, adding that she wants “to add my voice to the sympathy” to Boushie's family.
Another woman said that with the verdict in the Stanley case, “Canada basically told Indigenous people across the nation their lives don't matter,” and spoke of the “horrible, racist backlash” that followed.
She said that she thinks racism is born in ignorance. At Laurentian University, Indigenous studies have become mandatory for humanities students, she said, which is “incredible” despite the fact it resulted in increased class sizes.
The woman said Ontario students should learn about Indigenous topics earlier in their educational careers, and asked Wynne what was being done about that.
“This is why we're changing the curriculum,” Wynne said, adding that today's students will learn about treaties and residential schools by the time they graduate from high school.
“It's not until this generation of kids we're getting on this,” she said.
Wynne also fielded questions about improving French-language services and grants for part-time and mature students during the event.
This was just the first stop during the premier's visit to Greater Sudbury. She's also due to visit the city's other post-secondary schools, Collège Boréal and Cambrian College, later today.
Sudbury.com will bring you more coverage from the premier's visit later today.
