Petition: Justice for Jahvai Roy – Safety for All Canadians

To the Government of Canada and Members of Parliament:

We, the undersigned Indigenous/Canadians, are united in grief over the tragic death of Jahvai Roy, a young Anishnaabe/Bajan boy, and in determination that no child, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, should lose their life to violence.

This tragedy highlights the urgent need for stronger laws, safer communities, and greater accountability. Indigenous people are disproportionately at risk, but every Canadian family deserves safety, justice, and dignity.

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Our Demands

1. End “Catch and Release” for Both Youth and Adults

• Reform bail laws so that violent offenders (youth and adults) are not automatically released back into communities.

• Require stricter bail reviews, with public safety prioritized over convenience.

• Ensure detention for homicide, manslaughter, sexual assault, weapons offenses, and repeat violent crimes.

2. Hate Crime Protection for Indigenous Peoples

• Enact a law that any violent act against an Indigenous person, whether deliberate or reckless, is treated as a hate crime with enhanced sentencing.

• Require Indigenous community impact statements in all such cases.

3. Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) Reform

• Implement “sticker laws” requiring strict monitoring and accountability for repeat violent youth offenders.

• Introduce parental accountability: criminal and civil liability for gross negligence that enables violent crimes, plus mandatory participation in rehabilitation processes.

• Allow public disclosure of youth identities in the most serious violent cases where community safety is at risk.

4. Stop the Grooming & Glorification of Violence

• Ban the monetization and promotion of music, media, or online content that glorifies violence or recruits minors into crime.

• Criminalize grooming of youth into violence by adults or older peers.

• Hold platforms, promoters, and influencers accountable for enabling recruitment into violence.

5. Social & Economic Investments for All Canadians

• Raise social assistance rates and establish livable wages to reduce poverty-driven crime.

• Expand mental health, addictions, housing, food security, and youth programs, with a strong focus on Indigenous-led solutions but available to all Canadians.

6. Policing That Builds Trust

• Require officers to join in community and cultural events, often out of uniform, to build genuine relationships.

• Mandate anti-racism and Indigenous history training for all officers.

• Ensure police focus not only on punishment but also on prevention and community healing.

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Why This Matters

This is not just an Indigenous issue, it is a Canadian issue. Violence, poverty, and failed justice policies put all our families at risk. Indigenous peoples, however, face an additional layer of systemic harm, and that must be directly addressed.

By ending catch-and-release for both adults and youth, strengthening hate crime protections, investing in communities, and ensuring accountability, we can make Canada safer for everyone.

Justice for Jahvai is justice for all Canadians.

Safety for our children cannot wait.