There's a simple legal mechanism that allows lawyers to whitewash juries. A new bill proposes getting rid of it, but some lawyers are saying that will make things worse. We look back to how we got here.

On February 9, Gerald Stanley — the farmer accused of killing 22-year-old Cree man, Colten Boushie, in Battleford, Saskatchewan — was acquitted of second-degree murder. In the wake of the verdict, Jesse revisits a conversation he had in Saskatoon with Betty Ann Adam (Saskatoon StarPhoenix), Rob Innes (Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan), and Mylan Tootoosis (PhD candidate, University of Saskatchewan). This show was recorded live at Winterruption in Cosmo Seniors Centre on January 20th, 2017. The original airing of this episode was produced by Katie Jensen.   UPDATE (March 26, 2018): This episode has been edited to remove a comment from panelist Betty Ann Adam, who said: “When there’s a comparison made to Rodney King, that is kind of ridiculous, when you consider that 50 people died in those riots that went on for five days, and a billion dollars’ worth of property damage occurred. Thousands of businesses were destroyed. Now, in Canada, Indigenous people don’t do that en masse. As Mylan said, the people here signed treaty, and generally speaking, Indigenous people respond to oppression and racist policy with dignity and forbearance. We have had some fiery orators as leaders, who have spoken truth in fiery language. But it hasn’t led to burning buildings.”  While Adam has since clarified that she meant to reject Pastor Mark Kleiner’s declaration that “Colten Boushie is the Rodney King of Western Canada” because “that comparison invites expectations of violent reprisal, something settler Canadians fear from Indigenous people, but which has no modern basis in fact” — she recognizes that her phrasing could lead listeners to infer that she was “pronouncing a judgement on the response to the Rodney King verdict.…I absolutely did not intend the remarks as a negative comparison with any race.”

The Gerald Stanley verdict was a crucial moment - was the media equal to it? Was Patrick Brown set-up by CTV? And why is the newspaper bailout a thing again?

In newspapers, films, TV, and books, white Canadians are taught to see Indigenous people as animals.

Tina Fontaine and Colten Boushie: why must the news media disrespect and blame dead Indigenous kids? And the allegation against Steve Paikin: hmmm...

The Liberals, according to Conservative MP Scott Reid, are trying to "ram through whatever the f**** they want." In other, vaguely sexually-themed Conservative news, Brad Trost isn't down with the "the whole gay thing," while k.d. lang asks if Jason Kenney might be secretly fond of it. Kellie Leitch and Senator Lynn Beyak? Just crapping on Muslims and Indigenous peoples again, respectively. Nothing sexy there.

In the wake of Colten Boushie's death, Jesse discusses racial tensions in Saskatoon with panelists Betty Ann Adam, Rob Innes, and Mylan Tootoosis. Recorded live at Winterruption in Cosmo Seniors Centre on January 20th, 2017.