KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A First Nations couple who claim they are being "persecuted for being Indian” must stand trial for alleged poaching offences in B.C., a provincial court judge has ruled.
Jay Coutts and Farah Palmer each face one count of trafficking in wildlife, and Coutts is charged with an additional count of hunting during prohibited hours.
Coutts and Palmer, who allegedly sold deer meat to undercover conservation officers in Cache Creek, are set to go to trial on Sept. 24.
The pair is fighting the charges, saying they violate their aboriginal rights.
In a previous hearing, Coutts said Canada's laws are made "for white people, not native people."
Coutts says aboriginal people have the right to hunt for food and sustenance and that he should be allowed to make his living selling deer meat.
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