We’re continuing to cover the aftermath of the innocent verdict in the killing of Colten Boushie. Today in The Conversation Canada, Vicki Chartrand of Bishop’s University explores how our justice system “works against Indigenous people at every level, from police checks and arrests to bail denial and detention, sentencing miscarriages and disparities and high incarceration rates.”

Prof. Chartrand points out that prior to 1960, Indigenous people represented no more than two per cent of the country’s prison population. It’s now more than 26 per cent. “Indigenous people are more often criminalized and imprisoned for acts that are linked to poverty, lack of educational and employment opportunities, lifestyles of substance use, mental health concerns and histories of sexual abuse, violence and trauma - in other words, colonialism.”

Adam Sneyd of the University of Guelph looks at how “the politics of persuasion” are having a positive impact on agri-food research and development in Africa.

And finally, one of the most memorable moments of the 2018 Winter Olympics so far has been the appearance of the North Korean cheerleaders who have mesmerized audiences in Pyeongchang and around the world on TV. But Robert Huish of Dalhousie University says the propaganda war is blinding us to the brutality of life for North Korean athletes.

Regards,