EDITORIAL: "Ottawa must fund Innocence Canada," published by The Toronto Star on October 24, 2016.
SUB-HEADING; "The organization’s important work freeing the wrongly convicted is worthy of core funding from the Department of Justice."
GIST: "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.........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."
The entire editorial can be found at:
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/10/24/ottawa-must-fund-innocence-canada-editorial.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Harold Levy. Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
