Treaty #3 says parole board must address systemic failures after granting full parole to man who killed Barbara Kentner

The Grand Council of Treaty #3 in Ontario is the latest organization to come out and condemn the Parole Board of Canada for granting Brayden Bushby full parole. Bushby was convicted of manslaughter for throwing a trailer hitch that killed Barbara Kentner, 34, of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. Kentner was walking down a Thunder Bay street with her sister when Bushby threw the hitch from a moving vehicle. Four years later, Bushby was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years and 11 months. It included 10-year weapons prohibition. “Grand Council Treaty #3 fully supports Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation Chief and Council in their call for justice and accountability,” said a statement released on Thursday. “The decision to grant full parole to the person responsible for Barbara’s death is a miscarriage of justice and sends an unacceptable message to our people,” said Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh in the statement. The Treaty #3 statement comes a day after Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation said that Kentner’s death “was not an isolated tragedy” but a reflection of the “racism and violence that Indigenous people endure daily.” “The granting of full parole to her attacker,” the statement continued, “sends a devastating message that Indigenous lives are treated as expendable.” Barbara Kentner was struck with a trailer hitch while out walking with her sister in 2017. Photo: APTN file The Assembly of First Nations (AFN), a lobby group that represents more than 600 First Nations in Canada, said that Bushby’s history while on parole should have been taken into account. “Bushby committed a horrific act of targeted brutality and has a history of parole breaches and a pattern of high-risk behaviour,” said a statement from National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak on Thursday. “I am heartbroken for the friends and family of Barbara Kentner and the people of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway First Nation. This decision sends the wrong message about the value the criminal justice system places on the lives of First Nations women in Canada.” On the Truth and Politics panel on APTN National News, Niigaan Sinclair said, “If this is a non-Indigenous woman or male, this is a much different story. If this is a killing in Toronto, it’s a much different story.” “Because it’s in Thunder Bay, because it’s an Indigenous victim, this gets a scant amount of attention,” said Sinclair who added “when it comes to the murder of Indigenous peoples, as we know within the situations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, no one is held to account.” Panelist Jennifer Laewetz said the granting of full parole to Bushby sets a dangerous precedent. “I’m just really concerned about this and at what point we’re going to start valuing not just human life but Indigenous lives as well because that’s part of the layered problem here is that people will maybe not view this as serious as it should be because there is already a crisis in our country on people not valuing our lives,” said Laewetz. Watch the Truth and Politics Panel with host Dennis Ward  According to the parole board documents on its decision, “the Board determines a release on full parole now will not pose undue risk and the release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration back into society as a law-abiding citizen…” Bushby had previously been granted day parole in 2023. In 2024, it was revoked due to Bushby being in breach of several conditions. He was found in possession of contraband including a vape pen and juice and a knife fashioned into a screwdriver during a search in April 2023. He had also consumed alcohol and associated with a woman known to police and involved in the drug subculture. Perhaps more concerning were his “attitude and use of symbols,” the board noted. Bushby obtained a tattoo of a Confederate flag, which the parole board said is “widely considered a racist symbol. His explanation for the tattoo was not found credible by staff.” Bushby was also “identified as an instigator” in cutting a swastika into the lawn where he was residing, leading to a temporary transfer back to medium security. “To add insult to injury, while in custody and in the community, you continued to demonstrate attitudes indicative of being racist and [of]arrogance,” the board said. Read More:  Following almost 40 years in prison, Daryle Kent and his family are asking why he can’t return to Brokenhead First Nation Grand Council Treaty #3 said it’s time for the parole board to “confront the systemic failures that continue to deny Indigenous victims and their families meaningful justice.” “Our people deserve a justice system that values our lives, respects our rights, and holds those who commit violence against our people accountable,” the statement said. The Nishnawbe Aski Nation, an organization that represents 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, said in a statement that the judge’s sentence, “sent a strong message of deterance.” “Justice [Helen] Pierce recognized the dehumanizing nature of his attack and its ripple effect in the community and beyond. The granting of full parole has entirely undermined that important message.” With files from Leanne Sanders and Mark Blackburn Continue Reading