A Jan. 22 panel discussion at Windsor Law explored a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada that Bradley David Barton be re-tried in the death of Cindy Gladue.

The Windsor Law Shkawbewisag Student Law Society held the event in partnership with the Criminal Law Association of Windsor and the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee to discuss the R. v. Barton case and appeal, as well as the social and legal implications of the verdict on Indigenous communities and on Indigenous women in particular.

According to a case in brief release by the Supreme Court of Canada, a man found not guilty of killing an Indigenous woman eight years ago must be re-tried for manslaughter because trial rules for dealing with sexual history weren’t followed. A pre-trial began on Feb. 3 and a new trial is scheduled to be heard in November 2020.

The Jan. 22 panellists included:

• Windsor Law professors Beverly Jacobs and David Tanovich;
• Jonathan Rudin, program director for Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto; and
• third-year Windsor Law student Sara Little.

The panel challenged attendees to think about the unique circumstances faced by Indigenous peoples navigating the criminal legal system, and the additional barriers faced by Indigenous women and other individuals as victims of sexual violence who experience oppression in intersectional ways.

—Rachelle Prince