Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani speaks in the House of Commons, in Ottawa, on April 18.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 worsens matters.
A spokesperson for Justice Minister Arif Virani says the office knows the circumstances surrounding Northrup’s death have inflicted “deep wounds” on everybody involved. 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.
Virani’s office says the public should be proud of the fact someone’s guilt or innocence is decided by “impartial” juries and judges. 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.