Colten Boushie died after being shot in a rural farmyard only a few dozen kilometres from his home on Red Pheasant First Nation northwest of Saskatoon.
Boushie and a group of friends drove onto a farm in the rural municipality of Glenside on the evening of Aug. 9, 2016. A short while later, Boushie was shot and Gerald Stanley, the farm’s owner, is set to stand trial for second-degree murder.
Stanley has pleaded not guilty.
As Stanley’s trial begins Tuesday in Battleford, there are big questions about what this case means for Saskatchewan.
The shooting and the response
It’s still unclear why Boushie was shot or what happened in that farmyard. That will come out in the trial.
Colten Boushie was killed on a farm near Biggar, Sask. in August. (Facebook)
But it’s clear that his death sparked debate in Saskatchewan about race and, among other things, a torrent of racist posts online.
Racism against Indigenous people is nothing new in Saskatchewan, according to one University of Saskatchewan Indigenous studies professor.
“No one was shocked. The Indigenous community was not shocked. They lived this every day in this province so they were not shocked,” said Rob Innes.
But Innes said what was shocking was the sheer volume and the fact people were so open about the racism online.
“The surprising thing about it is that it wasn’t anonymous comments in a news story. These were Facebook posts, they attached themselves to their comments and that was surprising.”
Gerald Stanley arrives at Battleford court on Aug. 18, 2016. (CBC)
The deluge of hateful comments prompted Premier Brad Wall to urge calm in his own Facebook post less that a week after Boushie’s death. But the responses to that only seemed to add fuel to the fire.
Stanley’s attorney, Scott Spencer, has said Stanley will not be giving interviews or statements during the trial.
Spencer sent out a statement Friday aiming to stub out racial tensions, saying the trial is “not a referendum on racism.”
Family urges healing
Alvin Baptiste, Boushie’s uncle, said the lead-up to the trial has been difficult. But he says despite the racism this trial brought to the surface, he hopes there is healing after it’s over.
“As my family, we cannot heal until this trial is done — everything has been said and done about this trial,” Baptiste said.
Hundreds of people rallied in cities across Saskatchewan in the weeks and months following the shooting in support of Boushie and his family.
Baptiste said he and his family have received support from across North America in the wake of Boushie’s killing and that gives him hope that something good can come from his nephew’s death.
“We have many things that are happening in this world and a lot of it is a lot of hatred and that’s one thing that needs to be dealt with. Hatred and racism shouldn’t be tolerated at all and we should live together in harmony.”
Rallies outside courthouse
Rallies in support of Boushie’s family are being planned. There has also been a call for people to come out in support of Stanley.
As supporters gather outside the courthouse in Battleford, the RCMP says they will be on hand to monitor the situation
The trial will take place at the Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench courthouse. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)
“We will investigate complaints of suspected criminal behaviour such as uttering threats or potential hate crimes to the full extent of our resources.” the RCMP said in a news release.
There were rallies at Stanley’s bail hearing and the preliminary hearing. The Boushie family’s lawyer was quick to point out that all those were peaceful and non-violent.
“Colten’s family and supporters have been absolutely peaceful every moment of the way,” Chris Murphy said.
“I believe the police have to do their jobs, making sure that peace is kept, but there’s been absolutely no suggestions that there’s going to be anything other than peaceful attendance at this trial.”
The trial is scheduled for three weeks.