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A Manitoba judge is being appointed to a newly created first-of-its kind associate justice role for reconciliation, with the aim of helping heal and foster relationships between the courts and Indigenous communities.
Judge Jerilee Ryle will serve as the province’s first associate chief judge of reconciliation, Minister of Justice Matt Wiebe announced Friday.
Ryle will aid in reconciliation efforts, as well as performing the standard duties expected of associate justices in the courts. Those activities include supporting the chief justice to manage the courts, educating the public on the court system and developing policy, according to a news release from the province.
“I got into law to help Indigenous people. So being able to have these opportunities to work alongside and empower Indigenous peoples and communities, with a goal of healing Indigenous communities and peoples is certainly very impactful for me,” Ryle, who is from Lake St. Martin First Nation, told reporters at her appointment to associate justice.
“I’m very humbled and grateful to have this opportunity.”
She said she is feeling “eager to get started” and expects to hit the ground running next week.
“In terms of the first year, I see a lot of engagement with the Indigenous communities,” Manitoba’s newest associate justice said.
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Ryle will serve a seven-year term, which officially begins on July 2.
“I’m confident that Judge Ryle will provide strong leadership, deepening the connections between Manitoba’s justice system and the Indigenous nations throughout this province,” Wiebe told reporters at Winnipeg’s Grand Law Library.
“The justice system, as we know it, has not always been fair to Indigenous people, and we’ve seen the legacy of colonialism in the overrepresentation of Indigenous people within our justice system.”
In a statement to Global News, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) Executive Director Stephanie Scott applauded Ryle’s appointment.
She said the position is an ode to the work of the late former Manitoba senator, Murray Sinclair.
“By creating a judicial leadership role focused on reconciliation within Manitoba’s provincial court, the position will transform how the court system engages with Indigenous nations and will help to create a system that reflects and respects Indigenous traditions, beliefs and lived experiences,” Scott’s statement reads.
“We hope to see this serve as a model across the country, proving that systemic change is possible. We remind all that there can be no reconciliation without truth.”
Chief Judge Ryan Rolston said reconciliation efforts within Manitoba’s courts work won’t end here.
“The delivery of justice, which is the responsibility of the court, must evolve to serve the people,” he told reporters at Friday’s news conference.
Rolston said additional reconciliation efforts, including attempts to shift the court’s focus towards restorative justice for some cases, will continue.
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