Burden of Proof

A fundamental gap remains between how many Canadians see this country and the realities of living under a colonial settler state. Public commitments made by our governments to truth and reconciliation often do not match their actions behind closed doors.

From courtrooms to truth commissions, this episode is about the ways the Canadian settler state continues to suppress the legal systems, governance structures, and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples - and the difficulties seeking justice and truth within colonial legal systems. But we’re also looking at the profoundly important work of those fighting to make the truths of Indigenous people known.

In this episode Ry Moran speaks with David Paterson about the barriers in getting truths recognized in the Canadian courts, and with Marion Buller about the difficult work of truth-telling in this country through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry.

David Paterson: https://www.whiteravenlaw.ca/david-paterson

Marion Buller: https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/careers/departments/anthropology/profiles/buller-marion.php

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Reports: https://nctr.ca/records/reports/

National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Reports: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/

Delgamuukw Supreme Court Judgement: https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1569/index.do