Ottawa must put up funding for Innocence Canada

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 four-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 85case 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.

Asked by the Star why it denied Innocence Canada’s request for funding, a government spokesperson would say only that the organization’s application did not meet its criteria for funding programs. But given the profound contribution it has made to Canadian justice, Innocence Canada’s demise should be seen as an unacceptable outcome. The organization should be expanding its important work, not cutting back.

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.