University of British Columbia Press
Truth and Conviction
Donald Marshall Jr. and the Mi’kmaw Quest for Justice
9780774837491
9780774837484
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Truth and Conviction
Donald Marshall Jr. and the Mi’kmaw Quest for Justice
Now in paperback, the story of how Donald Marshall Jr.'s life-long battle against injustice revitalized Indigenous law in Canada.
The name “Donald Marshall Jr.” is synonymous with “wrongful conviction” and the fight for Indigenous rights in Canada. In Truth and Conviction, Jane McMillan—Marshall’s former partner, an acclaimed anthropologist, and an original defendant in the Supreme Court’s Marshall decision—tells the story of how Marshall’s life-long battle against injustice permeated Canadian legal consciousness and revitalized Indigenous law. Marshall died in 2009, but his legacy lives on. Mi’kmaq continue to assert their rights and build justice programs grounded in customary laws and practices, key steps in the path to self-determination and reconciliation.
The name “Donald Marshall Jr.” is synonymous with “wrongful conviction” and the fight for Indigenous rights in Canada. In Truth and Conviction, Jane McMillan—Marshall’s former partner, an acclaimed anthropologist, and an original defendant in the Supreme Court’s Marshall decision—tells the story of how Marshall’s life-long battle against injustice permeated Canadian legal consciousness and revitalized Indigenous law. Marshall died in 2009, but his legacy lives on. Mi’kmaq continue to assert their rights and build justice programs grounded in customary laws and practices, key steps in the path to self-determination and reconciliation.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Meki o’pla’lusnaq | A Great Wrong: The Wrongful Conviction
2 Melgwisgat | Nightmare: Prison and Freedom
3 Koqwaja’taqn | To Do the Right Thing: The Royal Commission
4 Ilsutekek | To Make Right: Recommendations and Outcomes
5 L’nuwey Tplutaqan | L’nu Law: Mi’kmaw Legal Principles
6 Munsi sapa’l’k | Struggle to Survive: Mi’kmaw Justice Initiatives
7 Najiwsgeieg | We Go Fishing: In Search of a Livelihood
8 Nijkitekek | That Which Heals: Restorative Justice
9 I’l’oqaptmu’k | Revisiting for Renewal: Mi’kmaw Legal Consciousness Today
Mi’ walatl | Thankful For
Notes; References and Further Reading; Index