I’ve come to the conclusion that having an activist PM is a seriously negative outcome from the last election. The PM’s picks for Ministers also seems to have led to activists in charge of ministries.
It has been fairly minor (“I’m a feminist”, indigenous reconciliation, “Person-kind”) up to this point. It has taken a much more serious turn recently with tweets, statements and meetings that seem to undermine the justice system and, worse, an attempt to undermine a jury’s verdict in a murder case.
The tweets and statements by the PM and Justice Minister were bad enough.... it characterizes the jury as racist, the defendant as racist and a wrong decision by the court (jury). It reminds me of what Trump does. It is no different, in my opinion.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boushie-verdict-ottawa-parliament-meeting-1.4530880An activist, by definition, has a biased position that is not necessarily swayed by the facts and is often positional. We shouldn’t have an activist government when it comes to matters of criminal justice when the government is supposed to be arms length from the entire process to maintain the impartiality of the justice system from politics.
Here is how a Justice Minister should act:
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/stefanson-offers-sympathy-no-comment-on-boushie-verdict-473829613.htmlAnd how leadership from an indigenous MP should look:
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/mp-sorry-for-the-stanley-family-473760143.htmlhttp://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/0212-na-stanley/wcm/bca6edc9-5f0e-4854-a625-deb8f2445e4aActivists, First Nations leaders and some lawyers are demanding change after an all-white jury Friday acquitted a white farmer who shot and killed a young Indigenous man in rural Saskatchewan.
In press conferences, online and at rallies across the country, they pressed the message that Canada’s justice system is broken and must be fixed.
However, some lawyers are worried that politicians now weighing in on the case are going too far and may even be putting the independence of the country’s judiciary at risk with their comments.
“Saying anything that amounts to commenting on the correctness of the verdict, to improve your public image or ensure an appropriate approval rating, should be criticized in Canada,” said Michael Lacy, a partner in the criminal law group Brauti Thorning Zibarras LLP in Toronto.
On Saturday, federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a tweet that Canada “can and must do better,” after a jury found Gerald Stanley not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Colten Boushie.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also weighed in at a news conference in California, saying Canada has “come to this point as a country far too many times.”
Edmonton-based criminal lawyer Tom Engel said when politicians, especially the justice minister, appear to criticize verdicts, the public may believe that future decisions by the courts are influenced by the remarks.