Jane McMillan, Marshall project principle investigator

Attendees at the Marshall Inquiry session held in Millbrook, NS. Photo by Adam Gould

Dear Editor:

The release of the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr., Prosecution in 1989, was an empowering turning point for the Mi’kmaq to regain authority over all aspects of their lives, to counter colonization, and to govern themselves. The Marshall Inquiry reports made real the racism many Mi’kmaq experienced in the Canadian justice system.

The Marshall Inquiry Recommendations, along with other inquiries across the country (RCAP), confirmed the fact that Mi’kmaq, and other Indigenous nations, have distinct cultural understandings and ways of being that require alternative sets of institutions to accommodate and sustain those realities.

The Marshall Inquiry Review team is working to address the justice issues raised in the community forums. We are very grateful for the time, energy and courage with which community members participated in this research. We look forward to completing the project and building the action plans to move forward with the community recommendations to improve access to justice for all Indigenous peoples in Nova Scotia.

Welalioq,
Jane McMillan,
Marshall project principle investigator

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