The cry for an inquiry into the death of Dudley George has been growing steady and strong.
The Opposition Liberals are putting forth a private member’s bill in Ontario’s legislature seeking an inquiry, echoing the calls of George’s family and supporters.
The United Nations has issued a strongly worded message to Canada to hold an inquiry into government actions surrounding George’s being shot by police.
The Ontario Ombudsman has also called for an inquiry. Both Liberal and NDP opposition parties promised one in their election platforms.
Courts have also called for an inquiry, as has The Toronto Star newspaper.
“All this shows this is a sore that must be dealt with,” said Murray Klippenstein, a lawyer representing George’s family.
He doesn’t see the outcry going away soon. “The government is going all out to block this,” he said. “If the family was going to fold, it would have done so by now.”
George, an unarmed Native protester, was killed in Sept. 1995 by Ontario Provincial Police officer Kenneth Deane. The protest was over desecration of ancestral burial grounds at Ipperwash Provincial Park.
After George was shot, police failed to call for an ambulance. Pierre George had to drive his dying brother to a hospital 50 kilometres away. Also shot was a Native youth who survived.
Robert Runciman, Ontario Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, ignored a summons to answer questions about the case on Sept. 8. Runciman was solicitor general at the time of the shooting.
Brendan Crawley, of the Ontario Attorney’s Office, said, “It was never expected that Runciman would show up and it’s too early for discovery to take place at this time.”
Klippenstein said the government broke its own court rules by Runciman not showing up and by refusing to hand over documents required by court rules. “If the government is innocent it is sure not acting like it,” said Klippenstein.
