TORONTO
STAR: THE CANADIAN COURT SYSTEM IS TOTALLY CORRUPT
The government not only has to set up a
fund for the 21 victims exonerated by the Canadian Justice System. Also the
“Political Figures from Ottawa” that pass laws to commit heinous crimes, they
have the duty with the society, to compensate and stablish a fund for the
hundreds of thousands of victims, of the flourishing business of domestic
violence. (More than 50% of homeless people in the streets of Toronto,
destroyed by Criminal and Family Judges)
Ottawa must fund Innocence Canada: Editorial
The
organization’s important work freeing the wrongly convicted is worthy of core
funding from the Department of Justice. David Milgaard is just one of 21
wrongly convicted that Innocence Canada has helped exonerate. (David
Cooper / Toronto Star) | Order this photo
David Milgaard is just one of 21
wrongly convicted that Innocence Canada has helped exonerate. (David
Cooper / Toronto Star) | Order this photo
Mon., Oct. 24, 2016
It’s hard to believe that in Canada innocent people can
spend years, even decades, behind bars for crimes they did not commit. But,
sadly, it happens all too often.
Think of David Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for
a rape and murder he did not commit. Or Guy Paul Morin, wrongly convicted of
the killing of Christine Jessop. He spent 10 years trying to clear his name. Or
Steven Truscott, who fought for 50 years before he was acquitted of the murder
of Lynne Harper.
Then think about where they might be if it wasn’t for the
help of Innocence Canada (formerly known as the Association in Defence of the
Wrongly Convicted), an organization that worked tirelessly for the exoneration
of each.
As the Star’s Wendy Gillis reported,
since 1993 the non-profit organization has helped obtain 21 of the 26
exonerations in Canada’s history, freeing individuals who together spent more
than 190 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Among them were seven
victims of disgraced Ontario pathologist Charles Smith, including William
Mullins-Johnson who spent 12 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted
of the murder of his 4-year-old niece.
With a track record like that, one would think the
organization would be considered a vital part of Canada’s justice system,
worthy of federal funding. Sadly, that seems not to be the case.
Last month, the organization was denied funding by the
federal department of justice. As a result, it now finds itself in dire
financial difficulty. It recently stopped accepting new cases and issued layoff
notices to some members of its staff. That means not only will it cease taking
new wrongful conviction cases, but its ability to tackle its current 85-case
backlog will be greatly diminished. That should worry all Canadians. Included
in that backlog are 16 cases where the organization is convinced the person is
innocent.
Asked by the Star why it denied Innocence Canada’s
request for funding, a government spokesperson would say only that the
organization’s application did not meet its criteria for funding programs. But
given the profound contribution it has made to Canadian justice, Innocence
Canada’s demise should be seen as an unacceptable outcome. The organization
should be expanding its important work, not cutting back.
Wrongly taking the liberty of a citizen is among the most
tragic errors the state can make. Innocence Canada has proven to be the
country’s most effective watchdog against such injustice. Ottawa mustn’t let it
fade away.
Public Library of St. Clair and duffering ispreventing to
