Umar Zameer and his lawyers walk away from the courthouse following his not guilty verdict, in Toronto, Sunday, April 21, 2024. The office of Canada's justice minister says the public should expect politicians to support their right to bail and to be presumed innocent - warning that"immediate" and"uninformed reactions" only worsens matters.
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. 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. "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.
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. 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.