(November 27, 2025 – Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, ON.) – The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Women’s Council is calling for immediate action to protect the rights and safety of First Nations women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals following predator Shawn Lamb’s statutory release as it is exemplary of disproportionate sentencing and harsher security classifications currently plaguing the system.
Shawn Lamb, who had plead guilty for two counts of manslaughter in the 2012 slayings of First Nations women Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith in Winnipeg, was recently provided statutory release only serving 12 years in prison. The AFN Women’s Council also stress “we must also hold in our hearts the memory of our lost sister, Tanya Nepinak” as Shawn was initially charged with three counts of second-degree murder, including for the alleged killing of Tanya Nepinak, but the Crown stayed that charge because of a lack of evidence.
“The AFN Women’s Council is deeply concerned by how the Canadian court system continues to fail Indigenous women, perpetuating cycles of violence against us. When perpetrators of violence know they are unlikely to face serious consequences, it reinforces the very threats our communities live with every day,” said Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum, Ontario Representative of the AFN Women’s Council.
AFN Women’s Council Chairperson Brenda Vanguard raises “this incident highlights the critical need for re-examination of risk assessments, supervision conditions, and sentencing practices to ensure accountability, safety, and justice for Indigenous women. Our communities cannot continue to bear the cost of systemic leniency and indifference.”
“This decision deeply impacts survivors, families, and communities who continue to live with the trauma of violence. Indigenous women and their loved ones deserve a justice system that values their lives and safety, not one that sends a message of leniency to perpetrators” said Chief Joanne Miles, Nova Scotia Representative of the AFN Women’s Council.
The AFN will continue to monitor Shawn Lamb’s statutory release along with sentencing and security classification reform in Canada.
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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national advocacy organization that works to advance the collective aspirations of First Nations individuals and communities across Canada on matters of national or international nature and concern.
Contact information:
Kelly Reid
Senior Communications Officer
Assembly of First Nations
(613) 292-0857
[email protected]