From the bestselling author of Bad Medicine and its sequel Bad Judgment comes a wide-ranging, magisterial summation of the years-long intellectual and personal journey of an Alberta jurist who went against the grain and actually learned about Canada’s indigenous people in order to become a public servant.
”Probably my greatest claim to fame is that I changed my mind,” writes John Reilly in this broadly cogent interrogation of the Canadian justice system. Building on his previous two books, Reilly acquaints the reader with the ironies and futilities of an approach to justice so adversarial and dysfunctional that it often increases crime rather than reducing it. He examines the radically different indigenous approach to wrongdoing, which is restorative rather than retributive, founded on the premise that people are basically good and wrongdoing is the aberration, not that humans are essentially evil and have to be deterred by horrendous punishments. He marshalls extensive evidence, including an historic 19th-century US case that was ultimately decided according to Sioux tribal custom, not US federal law.
And then he just comes out and says it: “My proposition is that the dominant Canadian society should scrap its criminal justice system and replace it with the gentler, and more effective, process used by the indigenous people.”
Punishment; deterrence; due process; the socially corrosive influence of anger, hatred and revenge; sexual offences; the expensive futility of “wars on drugs”; the radical power of forgiveness—all of that and more gets examined here. And not in a bloodlessly abstract, theoretical way, but with all the colour and anecdotal savour that could only come from an author who spent years watching it all so intently from the bench. (From Rocky Mountain Books website)
Contents
The beginning -- Learning -- Getting to know the Stoneys -- Restorative justice -- The origins of processes -- The evil Cornwallis -- Milton Born With a Tooth -- The right thing -- Respect -- Paradigm change -- Crow Dog v. Spotted Tail -- Rupert Ross -- Punishment -- Deterrence -- Due process -- Sawbonna -- Rev. Dale Lang -- To forgive or not to forgive -- Anger, hatred, vengeance -- Advocacy vs. conversation -- Polarization -- Drug prohibitions -- Sexual offences -- One size fits all -- Shifting focus from judicial solutions to community solutions -- The TRC -- FAQ.
This revised and updated edition details the latest legal developments surrounding tribal leadership and the state of governance on Canadian reserves.
When Bad Medicine first appeared in 2010 it was an immediate sensation, a Canadian bestseller that sparked controversy and elicited praise nationwide for its unflinchingly honest portrayal of tribal corruption in a First Nation in Alberta.
Now, in a new, revised and updated edition, retired Alberta jurist John Reilly sketches the latest legal developments surrounding tribal leadership at Morley and the state of governance on Canadian reserves, as well as national developments such as Canada’s long-delayed assent to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, currently wending its way through the Senate, and the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Early in his career, Judge John Reilly did everything by the book. His jurisdiction included a First Nations community plagued by suicide, addiction, poverty, violence and corruption. He steadily handed out prison sentences with little regard for long-term consequences and even less knowledge as to why crime was so rampant on the reserve in the first place.
In an unprecedented move that pitted him against his superiors, the legal system he was part of, and one of Canada’s best-known Indian chiefs, the Reverend Dr. Chief John Snow, Judge Reilly ordered an investigation into the tragic and corrupt conditions on the reserve. A flurry of media attention ensued. Some labelled him a racist; others thought he should be removed from his post, claiming he had lost his objectivity. But many on the Stoney reserve hailed him a hero as he attempted to uncover the dark challenges and difficult history many First Nations communities face. (From Rocky Mountain Books website)
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-258) and index. The Stoney people are comprised of three bands: the Wesley First Nation, the Chiniki First Nation and the Bearspaw First Nation
DVD cover abstract: Boston in the 1920s. A young East Coast debutante is dating the most eligible bachelor in the world, John D. Rockefeller III. Her future seems set: a dream life in the upper echelons of society. At art school, she meets a young painter from one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Their worlds are polar opposites, and their attraction turns their lives upside down. Inspired by a true story, Drawing Home is a universal romance for the ages.
Extended abstract: Inspired by the story of Catharine Robb Whyte and Peter Whyte, founders of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, the film depicts their courtship while attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston Massachusetts and early years of their marriage in Banff. The film focuses on their painting, managing of Skoki Lodge, their relationships with family, Stoney Nakoda, and artist Carl Rungius, and Peter's subsequent health problems. Catharine Robb Whyte, 1906-1979, was born in 1906 at Concord, Massachusetts and grew up amongst the wealth and creativity of the Robb and Morse families. Peter Whyte, 1905-1966, was born and raised in Banff, Alberta, the son of merchants Dave and Annie White.
Notes
This film is not a documentary. It is a fictionalized account of Peter and Catharine Whyte's relationship. Locations for the movie include the actual home of Catharine and Peter Whyte in Banff Alberta, which is located on the grounds of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Extras included Bow Valley locals Brad White, Deb Reeve and David Zweifel and others. Soundtrack Stars in My Eyes is performed by Judy Collins
This simple yet precious Îethkaîhâ book of numbers provides a beautiful narrative of counting. Author Natasha Wesley and her artist sister, Tanisha Wesley, portray the numbers 1 to 20 through their way of life. (back cover)
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders
ISBN
9781999294748
Accession Number
P2020.09
Call Number
05 W51i
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library
This simple yet precious Îethkaîhâ book of numbers provides a beautiful narrative of counting. Author Natasha Wesley and her artist sister, Tanisha Wesley, portray the numbers 1 to 20 through their way of life. -- Back cover
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders.
ISBN
9781999294748
Accession Number
P2020.09
P2022.01
Call Number
05 W51i Reference copy
05 W51o copy 2
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library
In this traditional Iyethka Nakoda story, Red Mountain Woman shares a traditional teaching that she learned from her Grandmother about protocol, respect, and sharing. (back cover)
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders
ISBN
9780969448976
Accession Number
P2020.11
Call Number
05 F83i
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library
In this traditional Iyethka Nakoda story, Red Mountain Woman shares a traditional teaching that she learned from her Grandmother about protocol, respect, and sharing. -- Back cover
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders.
ISBN
9780969448976
Accession Number
P2020.11
P2022.01
Call Number
05 F83i reference copy
05 F83i copy 2
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library
A descriptive Stoney Nakoda story of the people and animals who live in the foothills and mountains of southern Alberta, and call it home (back cover)
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders
ISBN
9780969448990
Accession Number
P2020.09
Call Number
05 W51n
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library
Watâga Wîyâ is a children’s alphabet book. Author Trent Fox and illustrator Tanisha Wesley bring to life a beautiful lesson in the world and words of the Stoney Nakoda (back cover)
Notes
The mentors and publishers of this series have supported the First Nations authors to share their stories under the guidance of traditional language speakers and Elders
ISBN
9780969448945
Accession Number
P2020.10
Call Number
05 F83w
Collection
Archives Library
URL Notes
Treaty 7 Language Books via Calgary Public Library