The public should expect politicians to support their right to bail and be considered innocent, says Canada’s Justice Minister’s office, warning that “immediate” and “misinformed” reactions only make matters worse.
A jury on Sunday found Umar Zameer not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a Toronto police officer who was run over in an underground parking garage in July 2021.
While prosecutors in the high-profile trial alleged that Zameer decided to drive dangerously with Const. Jeffrey Northrup and his partner, both plainclothes officers, were near him. His defense said he didn’t know they were police officers and felt his family was in danger when two strangers ran toward his vehicle.
A spokesperson for Justice Minister Arif Virani says the office is aware that the circumstances surrounding Northrup’s death have inflicted “deep wounds” on everyone involved.
The minister’s office says it extends its condolences to Northrup’s family and also recognizes the “emotional turmoil” Zameer and his family had to endure.
After the jury returned its verdict, the judge took the rare step of apologizing to Zameer for everything he has experienced since he was first charged.
That included several months of detention until he was granted bail in a decision that sparked outrage from the mayor of Toronto and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
It was not until the jury was sequestered that the bail decision could be made public, showing how weak the Crown’s murder case was.
Ford told reporters Tuesday that he had only “limited information” when he initially called Zameer’s bail release “completely unacceptable” and an example of the justice system needing to “get its act together.” He also said Zameer was “the person responsible”.
Virani’s office says the public should be proud of the fact that “impartial” juries and judges decide someone’s guilt or innocence.
“Canadians should expect politicians to support the fundamental rights that underpin our justice system, including the presumption of innocence and the right to reasonable bail,” Chantalle Aubertin, Virani’s spokesperson, said in a statement Tuesday night.
“Rarely are all the facts of a case known. Immediate and uninformed reactions can make things worse in situations where people are already suffering.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Criminal Lawyers Association say Zameer’s case underscores how essential bail is to the justice system and should serve as a lesson in why political leaders would be better off refraining from weighing in on such decisions.
Shakir Rahim, who heads the civil liberties group’s criminal justice programme, says that if he had not been granted bail, Zameer, an innocent man, would have spent his last years behind bars.
Politicians who criticize bail decisions risk “inflaming public opinion” towards an individual, raising concerns about their right to a fair trial.
And, Rahim says, the case against Zameer highlights how charges can be brought against anyone and that innocent Canadians need the protection that bail offers.
Last year, the federal Liberals introduced a set of tougher bail measures after widespread concern from opposition Conservatives, premiers and police chiefs that it was too easy for repeat violent offenders to access.
Virani, who shepherded the bill through Parliament after former Montreal MP David Lametti was ousted from cabinet, defended the reforms as targeting those with violent criminal records, while justice advocates warn that runs the risk of contributing to the overrepresentation of indigenous, black, and other marginalized people in the presidency. -judicial detention.
-with archives from Paola Loriggio in Toronto
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2024.