(Ottawa) Canadians should expect politicians to support their right to bail and the presumption of innocence, says the office of the federal justice minister, which warns that “hot reactions” and “misinformed” only makes the situation worse.
A jury in Toronto on Sunday acquitted Umar Zameer of first-degree murder of a police officer who was fatally struck in the underground parking lot of Toronto City Hall in July 2021.
At trial, prosecutors argued that Mr. Zameer chose to drive dangerously close to Officer Jeffrey Northrup and his colleague, two plainclothes officers. The defense argued that the defendant did not know they were police officers and felt his family was in danger when two strangers rushed toward his vehicle.
The office of Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani admits that the circumstances surrounding Officer Northrup’s death have inflicted “deep wounds” on everyone involved.
After the jury returned its verdict, the judge, in an unusual gesture, apologized to Mr. Zameer for everything he had suffered since his first accusation, including several months of detention until he be released on bail. This release aroused indignation at the time from the mayor of Toronto and the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford.
It was only when the trial jury was in segregation that another judge’s decision on bail, which demonstrated the weakness of the Crown’s case on a murder charge, was made public.
Mr Ford told reporters on Tuesday he had only “limited information” at the time when he called Mr Zameer’s release on bail “completely unacceptable” and an example of the need for the judicial system “to get its act together”. The Prime Minister also maintained that Mr. Zameer was “the person responsible” in this matter.
“A fundamental right”
Minister Virani’s office believes that people should be proud of the fact that the guilt or innocence of an accused is decided by “impartial” juries and judges.
“Canadians should expect politicians to support the fundamental rights at the foundation of our justice system, including the presumption of innocence and the right to reasonable bail,” spokesperson Chantalle Aubertin wrote Tuesday evening. of the federal minister.
“It is rare that all the facts of a case are known (from the outset). Knee-jerk, uninformed reactions can make things worse in situations where people are already suffering. »
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Criminal Lawyers Association both say Mr. Zameer’s case highlights how essential bail is in the justice system and should serve as a lesson in why leaders Politicians would do well to refrain from influencing such decisions.
Shakir Rahim, who heads the criminal justice program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, points out that without bail, Mr. Zameer, an innocent man, would have spent nearly three years behind bars.
Rahim said politicians who criticize bail decisions run the risk of “inflaming public opinion” against an individual, raising concerns about their right to a fair trial and fair.
Last year, the federal Liberals introduced a series of stricter bail measures, after Conservatives, premiers and police chiefs raised concerns that the measure was too easy to access for repeat violent offenders.
Mr. Virani, who shepherded the bill through Parliament after David Lametti, argued that these reforms targeted defendants with violent criminal histories. But opponents warn that these reforms risk contributing to the over-representation in pretrial detention of Indigenous people, Black people and other marginalized people.
reference: www.lapresse.ca