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“Truth-telling” and Legal Discourse: A Critical Analysis of the Neil Stonechild Inquiry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Nicole V.T. Lugosi
Nicole V.T. Lugosi*
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
*
Nicole V.T. Lugosi, Department of Political Science, 10-16 Henry Marshall Tory Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Abstract. Employing a critical race methodology focused on the notion of law as a hegemonic form of truth telling, I examine the findings and recommendations of the commission of inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild to show how certain stories were told (or not) through legal narratives, and how, in such a judicial forum, specific narratives were framed as more legitimate than others. This forum reproduces colonial assumptions of the Aboriginal “other,” as deserving less priority in the realm of justice and the Aboriginal voice as illegitimate compared to legal actors, thereby weakening notions of equal access to justice in Canada. I argue that the Neil Stonechild inquiry, while important, falls short in advancing justice by failing to address underlying racial factors and motivations, thereby providing an incomplete picture of what happened. As a consequence, the dominant mythology of Canada as a non-racist nation remains unchallenged, to the detriment of meaningful social change.

Résumé. À l'aide d'une méthodologie critique de la race axée sur la notion du droit comme façon hégémonique de dire la vérité, j'examine les conclusions et les recommandations de la commission d'enquête sur la mort de Neil Stonechild afin de montrer comment certaines histoires ont été racontées (ou pas) grâce au récit juridique et comment, dans un tel forum judiciaire, on a accordé une légitimité plus grande à certains récits. Ce forum reprend les suppositions coloniales sur «l'autre» autochtone, qui mériterait une priorité moindre dans le domaine de la justice, et sur la voix autochtone, qui serait illégitime comparativement à celle des acteurs juridiques, affaiblissant de ce fait les notions d'égalité d'accès à la justice au Canada. Je soutiens que l'enquête sur Neil Stonechild, bien qu'importante, ne réussit pas à faire avancer la justice, car les enquêteurs ne sont pas parvenus à aborder les facteurs et les motivations raciaux sous-jacents, donnant ainsi une image incomplète de ce qui s'est passé. Par conséquent, la mythologie dominante voulant que le Canada ne soit pas une nation raciste demeure incontestée, au préjudice d'un changement social significatif.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , June 2011 , pp. 299 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2011

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