Another question of interest, in law.
Namely, since Chief Spence has stated publicly that she is "willing to die" in this hunger strike, and that her supporters will not allow the RCMP, or any branch of law enforcement, to forcibly take her to the hospital if her physical condition worsens...
Under the Canadian Criminal Code, as explained in a February 2012 news story on the CBC --
There is such a charge as manslaughter, and there are two broad categories of manslaughter:
Unlawful act — when a person commits a crime that unintentionally results in the death of another person. For example, an individual punches someone in the face, and that person dies of his or her injuries, or someone fires their gun carelessly in public and unintentionally shoots a bystander.
Criminal negligence — when the homicide was the result of an act or a failure to act that showed wanton or reckless disregard for the lives of others.
An act is generally considered negligent if a reasonable person would have foreseen that the action would endanger a life. A failure to act can only be considered negligence if a person had a duty imposed by law to act — it does not apply, for example, to bystanders who see a person in distress and don't help.
Source
- [
link to www.cbc.ca]
Of course, the Prime Minister would be automatically granted immunity from prosecution.
All Chief Spence is asking of the Prime Minister is a face-to-face meeting, remember.