Laforme Defends Owen Young after AFN Calls for His Resignation

THE WORLD AT SIX (EAST) (CBC-R), Toronto, 30 Jul 08, Reach: 528,000, Time: 18:14, Length: 00:02:21, Ref# 10556D0-8

Anchor/Reporters: BILL GILLESPIE / MAUREEN BROSNAN

CALL FOR THE RESIGNATION OF A LAWYER

BARBARA SMITH (CBC-R): Groups representing residential school survivors are calling for the resignation of a lawyer hired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Assembly of First Nations, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and the National Residential School Survivors' Society all say Owen Young is a bad choice.
In March, Young represented the Province of Ontario in a case against aboriginal people opposing mineral exploration. During their sentencing, he urged the judge to impose a financial penalty that hurts. That comment has First Nations leaders saying his presence will taint the work of the commission. Karen Pauls reports.

KAREN PAULS (CBC Reporter): Alvin Fiddler is the Deputy Grand Chief of a group which represents 49 First Nations in Ontario. He says the Truth and Reconciliation Commission should let Owen Young go, to protect its own mandate.

ALVIN FIDDLER (Deputy Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation): A lot of people, I think, have high hopes, especially those survivors who have waited a long time to tell their story. But I think, you know, based on what's happened, you know, there has to be some... some corrective action taken first.

PAULS: Mike Cachagee agrees. He represents the National Residential School Survivors' Society.

MIKE CACHAGEE (President, National Residential School Survivors' Society): I have a saying, you can't suck and blow at the same time. You can't call from the rooftops about crime and punishment and then say we're going to talk about reconciliation after the fact. I've got a lot of respect for Justice LaForme, you know. But I think of all the counsel that was available in Canada, he could have found someone else who is less contentious.

PAULS: Still, the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is defending his decision to hire Young as a legal counsel. Justice Harry Laforme says Young's comment is being taken out of context unfairly because for much of his career he has defended aboriginal people.

HARRY LAFORME (Head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission): I would simply say trust my judgement and wait for the results of what we do as a commission because I fought long and hard about the right person for this job. And I believed it was Owen Young.

PAULS: Two weeks ago, the Assembly of First Nations unanimously passed a resolution urging the commission to reconsider its choice. LaForme says he's waiting for a formal request from the AFN before deciding how to respond. Alvin Fiddler hopes Young will take action before then.

FIDDLER: If he's an honourable man and by all accounts he is then do the right thing and step down from the commission.

PAULS: Owen Young could not be reached for comment. Karen Pauls, CBC News, Winnipeg.
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WORDS: 458 Transcript Order: 107561 Id: 10556D0-8 Sent: 01 Aug 08 09:24AM