Minister Wilson-Raybould addresses United States Conference of Western Attorneys General about transformative approaches to reducing over-representation of marginalized people in Canada's criminal justice system

OTTAWA, July 23, 2018 /CNW/ - As a necessary building block of a just and equitable society, Canada is transforming its criminal justice system to better support Indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups.

This week, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, will deliver remarks at the annual meeting of the Conference of Western Attorneys General in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. There are 40 State Attorneys General attending this year's conference. She will have the opportunity to share her perspectives with US and Mexican elected officials and policy-makers on the link between a responsive and innovative criminal justice system and reconciliation, including the importance of supporting the increased use of restorative justice models.

Minister Wilson-Raybould is also pleased to be visiting Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation. Here she will participate in meetings hosted by Ethel Branch, the Attorney General of the Navajo people including a meeting with the President of the Navajo Nation Russel Begaye. Together, they will discuss legal challenges facing Indigenous people in Canada and the Navajo Nation.

Quotes
"I am confident that advancing reconciliation can create opportunities for innovative approaches to issues related to justice. It is my pleasure to join my fellow Attorneys General at the conference and to visit the Navajo Nation to discuss how we can, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, enable just, equitable, and effective justice systems within our respective jurisdictions."

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Quick Facts

• The Conference of Western Attorneys General is an American bipartisan group of chief legal officers with 38 member states, foreign and territorial jurisdictions and associate members.
• The Navajo Nation is made up of more than 250,000 citizens in 110 communities in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico and has a constitutional structure with an Attorney General. The Attorney General is the Chief Legal Officer of the Navajo Nation and oversees the Department of Justice and all legal matters in which the Navajo Nation government has an interest.
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls on federal, provincial and territorial governments to commit to the recognition and implementation of Indigenous justice systems in a manner consistent with the Treaty and Aboriginal rights of Indigenous peoples, the Constitution Act, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Associated Links

• Conference of Western Attorneys General
• Navajo Nation Government

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada