Politicians should avoid ‘uninformed reactions’ when it comes to bail: Virani’s office

April 24, 2024 Canuck

The public should expect politicians to support their right to bail and to be presumed innocent, the office of Canada’s justice minister says, warning that “immediate” and “uninformed reactions” only worsen matters.

On Sunday, a jury 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 Zameer chose to drive dangerously with Const. Jeffrey Northrup and his partner, both plainclothes officers, nearby, his defence said he didn’t know they were police and felt his family was in danger when two strangers ran up to his vehicle.

A spokesperson for Justice Minister Arif Virani says the office knows the circumstances surrounding Northrup’s death have inflicted “deep wounds” on everybody involved.

The minister’s office says it extends its condolences to Northrup’s family and also recognizes the “emotional turmoil” that Zameer and his family had to endure.

After the jury delivered its verdict, the judge took the rare step of apologizing to Zameer for all he experienced since first being charged.

That included several months in detention until he was granted bail in a decision that sparked outrage from Toronto’s mayor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Ford, Tory comments scrutinized

It was not until the jury was sequestered that the bail decision showing how weak the Crown’s murder case was could be made public.

Ford told reporters on Tuesday that he only had “limited information” when he initially called Zameer’s release on bail “completely unacceptable” and an example of the justice system needing “to get its act together.” He also said Zameer was “the person responsible.”

WATCH | Umar Zameer speaks:

Umar Zameer and wife on their relief after his acquittal in Toronto cop death

2 days ago

Duration 5:08

Umar Zameer, found not guilty of all charges in the death of Toronto police officer Det.-Const. Jeffrey Northrup, speaks out about his acquittal. Zameer and his wife, who was 8 months pregnant on the night Northrup died, sat down for an interview with the CBC’s Ellen Mauro.

John Tory, Toronto’s former mayor, also told CBC News he had learned a lesson.

Virani’s office says the public should be proud of the fact someone’s guilt or innocence is decided by “impartial” juries and judges.

“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, a spokesperson for Virani said in a statement late Tuesday.

“Rarely are all the facts of a case known. Immediate, uninformed reactions can make things worse in situations where people are already hurting.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Criminal Lawyers’ Association both say the case of Zameer underscores how essential bail is to the justice system and should serve as a lesson as to why political leaders would be best to refrain from weighing in on such decisions.

Bail measures introduced

Shakir Rahim, who directs the criminal justice program with the civil liberties group, says without being granted bail, Zameer, an innocent man, would have spent the past few years behind bars.

Politicians who criticize bail decisions run the risk of “inflaming public opinion” towards an individual, which raises concerns about their right to a fair trial, he says.

WATCH | Questions swirl around trial:

Umar Zameer acquittal raises questions about justice system, say legal observers

2 days ago

Duration 4:19

Legal observers are questioning the decision to charge and prosecute Umar Zameer for murder in the death of a Toronto police officer when the evidence did not support it. As CBC’s Chris Glover reports, they say the case raises concerns about fair process in the justice system.

And, Rahim says, the case against Zameer highlights how a charge can be laid against anyone and that innocent Canadians need the protection offered by bail.

Last year, the federal Liberals introduced a suite of tougher bail measures after widespread concern from the Opposition Conservatives, premiers and police chiefs that it was too easy to access for repeat violent offenders.

Virani, who shepherded the bill through Parliament after former Montreal MP David Lametti was shuffled out of the justice minister role, defended the reforms as targeting those with violent criminal histories.

But justice advocates warn it risks contributing to the overrepresentation of Indigenous, Black and other marginalized people in pre-trial detention.

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