Perhaps it’s time for the Prime Minister and his Attorney General to take a bit of a refresher course on the rules of engagement when commenting upon court decisions.
It was shameful to see both of them jumping on the Twitter bandwagon this week to join the “Justice for Colten Boushie ” movement, and, by so doing, casting aspersions on the correctness and quality of the verdict that was rendered by the jury in the trial of Gerald Stanley. Private citizens are free to express their views on the correctness of the decision, but elected officials who are entrusted with the administration of justice simply cannot.
Mr. Trudeau’s tweet concluded “we have to do better” -to which I say yes Mr. Prime Minister, you and your Mr. justice minister do need to do better: you need to learn to keep your mouth shut when to comment implies a criticism of the integrity of the trial process which acquitted Mr. Stanley.
Fair enough to express sympathy for the Boushie family. It is indeed a tragedy to lose a young life, through what a jury has determined to be an accident, An accidental death is equally as devastating as an intentional one, but beyond that, elected officials simply must not go in their comments.
While it is long past time for us to begin a conversation about indigenous people and the legal system, such a conversation must be divorced from the results of a particular trial
Langley Law 