Attention of:

Chief Judge The Honorable T.J. Matchet

Judge Raymond Bodnarek

Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes

"On a Monday afternoon in June 2015, "Angela Cardinal" was led into an Edmonton courtroom handcuffed and in leg shackles. Metallic rattling echoed as a sheriff escorted the 28-year-old to the witness stand."

(Angela Cardinal is not the woman's real name. A publication ban prohibits her identification. The family is currently fighting the ban)

At the request of Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes, Judge Raymond Bodnarek ordered that "Cardinal" be remanded to the Edmonton Remand Centre, where she was held for 5 days despite her pleas to be released into her mother's care. She was transported to and from the court in the same van as her attacker, Blanchard, and had to sit in a cell in court in plain view of him! She was even called Ms. Blanchard (her attacker's name) by Judge Raymond Bodnarek!

Bodnarek used Section 545(1)(b) of the Criminal Code, which applies to witnesses who refuse to answer questions, as an excuse for the incarceration of the victim, in spite of the victim's continued willingness to testify.

Her story has spread all over Canada and even the US.

It was written about in the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/...

And even got the attention of TYT (The Young Turks) who aired a 8:36 minute segment about it, which at this moment has reached 80k views, 399 shares, and plenty of comments. Of course those numbers are still rising.

https://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks/videos/1015...

On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, the Alberta Judicial Council stated that it had not received any complaints about how provincial court Judge Raymond Bodnarek conducted the hearing in this case. Of course not! The victim was Native. Had she been a white woman there would have been an outcry long before now and action would have been taken!

We demand a public apology from Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes and Judge Raymond Bodnarek and the removal from office of said individuals. Judge Bodnarek had/has no legal grounds to justify his actions, nor did/does Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes for her demand that the victim be remanded!

The continuing mistreatment and open racism against members of First Nations by the justice system is unacceptable.