Alberta court renames Gladue reports to Indigenous Background Reports starting Sept. 1
The change follows consultation with the Gladue family and Indigenous leaders over concerns the current term stigmatizes people with the surname.
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Alberta's Court of Justice announced Thursday it will rename pre-sentence reports used to assess Indigenous offenders, effective Sept. 1. The reports will be called Indigenous Background Reports instead of Gladue reports — a shift made after consultation with members of the Gladue family, Indigenous leaders, and organizations working with the courts.
Gladue reports assess how government policies affecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit people may have contributed to an Indigenous person's criminal behaviour. The reports help judges consider an offender's personal, family, community and systemic background when deciding sentences.
"The new terminology is intended to better reflect the purpose of these assessments: to provide the Court with relevant information about an Indigenous person's personal, family, community, and systemic background, where that information may assist in a fair and informed decision-making process," the court said.
The reports came from the 1999 Supreme Court case of Jamie Tanis Gladue, a 19-year-old Cree-Métis woman from Alberta sentenced to three years in prison for manslaughter. The judge initially said her Indigenous background didn't matter because she didn't live on reserve, but the Supreme Court overturned that reasoning — establishing that Indigenous heritage counts in sentencing regardless of where someone lives.
Jackson Mirasty, an Edmonton defence lawyer and former Gladue report writer, said the reports focus on "moral culpability." For Indigenous people, that context often traces directly to Canada's colonial history — residential schools, the child welfare system, legislation fragmenting families and communities — leading to reduced employment, education, and higher rates of substance abuse.
The court emphasized the process itself won't change, only the name.
The facts
When do Alberta courts start calling them Indigenous Background Reports?
Alberta's Court of Justice begins using the name Indigenous Background Reports on September 1, 2026, replacing the term Gladue reports.
What do these reports assess?
Indigenous Background Reports assess how government policies affecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit people may have contributed to an Indigenous person's criminal behaviour, and help judges consider an offender's personal, family, community and systemic background when deciding sentences.
Why was the name changed?
The Court of Justice made the change after consultation with members of the Gladue family, Indigenous leaders, and organizations working with the courts, over concerns that the current term stigmatizes people with the surname Gladue.
