The national Chief of the Assembly of First Nations believes ...

The national Chief of the Assembly of First Nations believes the Conservative government’s omnibus crime bill will put more First Nations people in jail, and they are already disproportionately represented there. Shawn Atleo says First Nations have not been consulted on new tough-on-crime laws and it would benefit the country to have First Nations help design future-forward solutions. He said it was a government education policy that led to over-representation of Aboriginals in jail, and it will be education that can turn the tide against it. “That’s poverty. That’s the underlying trauma of the Indian Residential School system,” he said. Give First Nations more control over programs, and that would move communities away from poverty and crime.