Justice minister appears to lose patience with protest camp

Justice Minister Don Morgan seems to be losing patience with the Justice for our Stolen Children Camp following their meeting on Monday.

People with the camp said they’re staying put at least for another two weeks, which is when supporter Prescott Demas said they’re planning on another meeting with government.

Morgan said he won’t consider a second meeting until the teepees are taken down.

“They need to demonstrate some good faith,” he said on 980 CJME’s Gormley Wednesday morning. “I’m not prepared to have that meeting or inclined to consider it as long as the teepees are up.”

“I think it’s time they decide, ‘okay, we’ve made whatever point we choose to,’ and that they move on,” Morgan said.

He said the list of requests the camp put forward in the meeting should be directed towards the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) or individual tribal councils.

He adds government doesn’t know if the group of protestors actually represent First Nations people or not.

Morgan suggested he thinks some members of the camp are simply there for their own agendas, like University of Regina Justice Studies professor Michelle Stewart.

“If Michelle Stewart wants to raise issues in her capacity as an academic, fine, she’s welcome to do that, but I’m not prepared to deal with it in the context of a protestor sit-in,” said Morgan.

He said Stewart is not First Nations, but introduced herself as a settler.

Morgan adds in the meeting he was hoping to hear from just First Nations people for better understanding about the issues they’re facing.

-with files from 980 CJME’s Jayda Noyes