So many people have become so used to get freebies, and to have the government hold their hands throughout their lives, that it’s become normal for a political party to campaign on free tampons.
Not for me.
Time to bring back COMMON SENSE and PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
The Theriault verdict is a difficult one to unpack. Essentially, Di Luca says the brothers probably did all the horrible things they are alleged to have done, but probability is not the standard in criminal cases. "Beyond a reasonable doubt" is. 1/X
Took a very sick, screaming toddler to
@Sunnybrook
ER at 3:00 AM this morning. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the exceptional care provided by the nurses there. World class. Beautiful people. My heroes.
Dear
@Bell
,
Extend this compassion to those in prison, no longer able to see visitors due to
#COVID19
. Phone calls to family will be their only form of contact w/ them during a global pandemic. Help reduce anxiety & depression among this vulnerable pop. Make those calls free.
To assist Canadians working from home because of COVID-19, we will be waiving extra usage fees for all residential Internet customers until April 30th. This will be applied automatically. No action is required by our customers.
Look out world!! She’s a brilliant, young legal mind. And her mission is to expunge the cannabis convictions of half a million Canadians via
@torontostar
As a Black criminal defence lawyer, I am particularly sensitive to police brutality. The Theriault verdict was a tough one to unpack. Here are my thoughts on what it means and what work needs to be done going forward via
@TorontoStar
She should be playing on the streets, not protesting on them. She should be reading stories, doing long division, building sand castles. Instead she has to do this. Racism prevents this girl from being a child.
There is absolutely NO comparison between having to get vaxxed to cross an int’l border & the Holocaust. Using Nazi symbology in anti-vax protests is deeply ignorant & antisemitic. It trivializes the horror of calculated mass murder. There is no equivalence. Stop this nonsense.
The place to address multi-faceted social problems is not a criminal court in the context of a particular case. We need an inquiry. We need the legislator to address these issues. And Dafonte needs to sue. 8/X
I hate it when politicians make the empty statement that “racism has no place in Canada.” Racism has a place in Canada, and that place was created by them.
WOW. This is shockingly stupid & unconstitutional. The only thing
@AndrewScheer
has illustrated through this infographic is his profound ignorance of the Canadian constitution & criminal justice system.
#cdnlaw
#cdnpoli
It is with great sorrow that I say goodbye to my partner & dear friend, Clay Ruby. I could not have asked for a more supportive & loving mentor whose genius & zeal was matched only by his kindness & zest for life. He taught me that justice is what love looks like in public. RIP💔
Clayton Ruby passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon, surrounded by his family. Clay was a dedicated advocate for human rights, a champion of the underdog and a loving friend. Our thoughts are with his family and our entire firm mourns the loss of our leader and mentor.
This is criminal. Yet no Church or gov. official will ever be held criminally responsible. Instead, we waste millions prosecuting family members of these children & their descendants for not resisting the intergenerational criminogenic effects of genocide. We should be ashamed.
Remains of 215 Indigenous children have been found at a Canadian residential school, a First Nation said.
Over 150 years, 150K+ Indigenous children were stolen from families & put in schools away from home. Many suffered physical & sexual abuse — 4,100 died, estimates
@NCTR_UM
.
Recognizing a justifiable mistrust in the police, he observed that, as a young Black man, Dafonte might well have had good reason to lie to them, & that his credibility should not automatically take a hit as a result of this deception. 12/X
Why is our government using false data to prop up unconstitutional laws? Impaired driving is NOT one of the leading causes of death in Canada. Far from it. Join me on a journey of learning... 1/
My thanks to police officers across Canada for their excellent work keeping our roads safe.
Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. This new law, which the Conservatives voted against, gives us some of the toughest impaired driving laws in the world.
At the same time, we are fighting a community perception and, in large part, the reality of Black lives, that police who commit crimes are never held accountable, especially when the victims of those crimes are Black men. 4/X
Incredibly proud of my profession today.
The results of the
@LawSocietyLSO
elections show that Ontario lawyers have little appetite for the divisiveness & bad faith politicking that have characterized Convocation these last 4 years.
We can—and will—do so much better.
When criticized for cuts to Legal Aid Ontario,
@fordnation
personally guaranteed that anyone who needed legal aid would get it. He’s done nothing to fulfill that promise. I wish he cared as much about an adequately funded justice system as he does about beer.
#GotBeerNeedJustice
This is pure ignorance. Do you have any idea what goes on in bail court? Do you know how long it takes to prep & argue a contested bail hearing? Do you know how few contested hearings duty counsel can do a day? Show me notes of your field research that support this nonsense.
@AriGoldkind
@fordnation
Full-time Legal Aid lawyers are already in bail court to represent the accused seeking bail. LAO is no longer going to pay another criminal lawyer to show up to bump aside already available counsel. This is bad news for lawyers who bill by the hour, but good news for taxpayers.
Holy camoly!! Today has been an overwhelming affirmation of what I set out to do with law & now I’ve been named one of Toronto’s most influential people of 2018 by
@torontolife
!!! Looking forward to attending the reception tonight w/ my bff
@sameens7
!
We’re getting to the part of this pandemic where I’m chugging Red Bull for breakfast daily. Sudden loss of childcare is crushing working moms. Also, if you respond with anything other than a link to a peer-reviewed study indicating Red Bull is totally healthy, you will be blocked
As a criminal defence lawyer, I’m most touched by referrals from clients whose cases I lost. I almost burst into tears when one referred a family member to me today. Irrespective of outcome, clients never forget when you care, communicate and fight like hell on their behalf.
I can’t stop thinking about Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old Black girl who took out her cell phone and recorded Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd.
This case was a difficult one from the outset: It is important that every accused gets a fair trial, even when the accused is trash. The burden of the state must not be relaxed, even in difficult cases. 3/X
I grew up with BodyBreak. I remember how proud I was of that show. It made me feel like I belonged. Finally, there was a family on TV that looked like mine. I never knew what it took to get there... via
@torontostar
Bill C-5 became law last week with little fanfare.
It is, perhaps, the most significant piece of crim legislation tabled by
@MinJusticeEn
& passed by Parliament this year. Here's a short 🧵 on why:
As the
@Raptors
start their playoff run, a group of lawyers/Raptors fans want to keep the focus on the fight for racial justice. Black lives matter today and every day. We are pledging to make a donation for each playoff win by the Raptors to a group promoting racial justice.
If a 12 year old is raped by her father and the father takes her to get an abortion, the evidence of the crime will be destroyed and he will go on molesting his victim for years. If however the child is born, his crime will be discovered and she will be rescued from the abuse.
Hey
@HamiltonPolice
! What actions are you taking to remove this officer who physically intimidated a member of the public by lunging at her? He should NOT be interacting with vulnerable members of the public let alone carrying a weapon while doing so.
This is
#HamOnt
. This is why we say
@DefundHPS
. Notice how she never raises her voice, yet he accuses her of being "unreasonable" and not listening, while repeatedly talking over her and threatening her with arrest for property damage that never happened. Then he lunges at her
Exciting news: WE'RE HIRING! We're looking for an articling student with a passion for advocacy, a strong academic record & excellent writing skills. Interested candidates, please provide a cover letter, CV, transcript, and two writing samples to cmckinnon
@rubyshiller
.com
Ontario to allow community housing agencies to reject tenants evicted for crimes. Move designed to make community housing safer, says Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark.
#onpoli
This Thursday, I will be making submissions in R. v. Morris on behalf of the intervener,
@UARRToronto
. I will argue that a robust consideration of systemic racism must be taken into account in sentencing Black offenders. My submissions can be found here:
Huge news! Those concerned w/ evidence-based crim law reform should be hopeful: My former
@LawMcGill
prof
@DavidLametti
becomes new Minister of Justice & AG. He’s kind, smart, critical, committed to fairness & the furthest thing from an ideologue
#cdnpoli
#cdnlaw
#cabinetshuffle
we must never forget all that Dafonte has suffered these last three and a half years, and how much his family has also suffered
please support this fundraiser to help Dafonte and his family in their ongoing recovery
Dafonte we love you
#HereForDafonte
Much of criminal justice assumes people convicted of crimes are moral degenerates who are the architects of their own destiny. Read the story of Troy Clark & revisit that assumption. The people we put away are largely broken by social circumstances. They lost the lottery of life.
Texas plans to execute Troy Clark on Wednesday. Troy's trial attorneys failed to investigate his background or present mitigation evidence to the jury. Jurors are instructed to consider mitigation evidence as weighing against a death sentence. Here's what Troy's jury never heard:
To all the women who have inspired me and lifted me up this year.
To the courageous ones who had a million reasons to quit but keep going strong.
To the defiant who spoke truth to power.
Happy International Women’s Day
#InternationalWomenDay2019
Almost all other jurisdictions that have legalized
#cannabis
are wiping records clean. In Canada, our government has announced it will only issue pardons. Why only a half measure? San Francisco DA to clear all marijuana misdemeanour convictions since 1975
On this
#RemembranceDay
, I think
of my grandpa Jan, who was captured by Nazis in WWII. When liberated by Americans, he returned home to Czechoslovakia, joined the anti-Nazi party & raised a fierce woman who fought to immigrate her biracial family to Canada.
Fuck you, Don Cherry
Also of significance is his statement that he carefully considered the racialized context in which this case arose. I'm not sure he did much with this context. He could have done more, but was limited by the evidence. The Crown could have called evidence on this. 13/X
Wow. SCC decides cops were wrong to aggressively arrest woman for committing a crime that doesn’t exist. She suffered PTSD as a result of the arrest, again FOR SOMETHING THAT WASN’T A CRIME, and all she got was $20,000. Damages for police abuse really need to be high in Canada.
Kosoian v. Société de transport de Montréal - Police weren’t allowed to arrest someone for not holding an escalator handrail, the Supreme Court has ruled:
#police
#cdnlaw
Today, I took over
@JohnTory
's account to draw attention to the lack of representation & diversity in our criminal justice system. We are happy to put Black and Indigenous people in cages at alarmingly high rates, but we don't make sure they're on the bench.
#BLM
This morning, I'm passing over my accounts to
@aenenajor
, Partner at Ruby Shiller Enenajor DiGiuseppe Barristers.
With her expertise and advocacy work in law and policing she'll be speaking to the importance of representation in the pursuit of valuable change.
#BHM
#PassTheMic
Excited to be back at
@queensulaw
teaching "Bias & Criminal Justice System Outcomes"! This course incorporates social science evidence relating to criminal justice system outcomes to assess why members of vulnerable & marginalized communities are over-represented in our system.
Thank you
@Chatelaine
for recognizing the important work that women did to make Canada a better place in 2018. I’m honored to be counted among the
#WomenOfTheYear
. Visit
@CannabisAmnesty
to learn why we’re fighting for freedom not forgiveness from the Government of Canada
I'm shaking w/ rage at the vile antisemitism emerging on this platform.
It should not be hard to unequivocally denounce barbaric violence against innocent people. Without hesitation.
It should shatter your heart whether victims are Israeli or Palestinian.
Back to the actual reasons: It's hard to understand why Di Luca J. chose to break his analysis down the way he did rather than viewing the entire incident as a continuing course of conduct by two aggressors. 9/X
If you’re a student of colour, first generation law student or just never saw yourself as an SCC clerk because you thought the opportunity was too out of your league, sign up for this session. You belong there.
The new 2-hour post-driving window, combined with the new absence of reasonable suspicion & the reverse onus is a recipe for unfounded and unconstitutional arrests. It’s shocking how unconstitutional
#C46
is and that our government thought it was ok.
But Di Luca J. touched upon something important at the outset of his reasons: While this case and others like it raise significant issues in race and policing that should be further examined, that is not his task. 6/X
I speak to
@vicecanada
about the need to provide pardons to those convicted of cannabis possession offences once it becomes legal
#CannabisAmnesty
#cdnpoli
#cdnlaw
: Canada is facing mounting pressure to grant mass pardons for weed possession via
@vicenews
Honored to be featured on Flare Magazine’s How I Made It 2019 list! This Defence Lawyer Is Fighting for Cannabis-Related Criminal Justice Reform
#HowIMadeIt2019
This is so frustrating. No, it didn't. Canada has never had life without parole. The
#SCC
struck down the ability of a sentencing judge to stack parole ineligibility periods one after the other.
The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously struck down a punishment of life without parole for mass murderers, retroactive to the time it was enacted in 2011.
Proud to announce that in 2023, I will be running for
@LawSocietyLSO
Bencher as part of the
@BGG_Coalition
. For 3 years, I have watched the governing body of a profession I believe should aspire to the highest ethical standards descend into a chaotic pit of indignity. No more. 1/
Today I addressed the
@SenateCA
about how Indigenous people & racialized Canadians are over-represented in the crim. justice system, but under-represented in jury panels.
#BillC75
does nothing to address that & will unnecessarily complicate & prolong the jury selection process.
So proud of my dear friend
@LegalishCA
who is the definition of persistence, tenacity and hope. He’s exactly what our justice system needs.
@RyersonU
is lucky to have you. via
@torontostar
I’m doing a homicide trial in Winnipeg this frigid February, far away from my family, my friends and my love. Then I get to court this morning & the lovely clerk has placed this on my desk and on the desks of other out-of-town counsel. My heart melted!!!
#HappyValentinesDay
On tough days when Crowns are unreasonable, clients ungrateful and the tasks ahead seem impossible, I often ask myself... why didn’t I just become an Instagram influencer? 🤷🏾♀️
Another life lost to
@PeelPolice
, an organization incapable of responding to BIPOC in distress w/o killing them. They tasered this man 6 times, left him handcuffed on the ground and blocked the paramedics from getting to him. Disgusting.
#BlackLivesMatter
Justice Clément Gascon leaves the courtroom of the Supreme Court of Canada for the last time. He will continue to work on judgments for cases he heard before retiring, effective September 15. All the best, Justice Gascon!
#SCCJudge
#SCC
So many of today's arguments (especially by interveners) in
#Chouhan
are arguments to be made in front of Parliament, not the
#SCC
. We can't ask the Court to fix all of our bad policy.
THC oral fluid testing doesn’t shows current impairment; it shows prior use. This is going to be challenged as soon as it is law, wasting time, money & limited Court resources while innocent people go thu hell & have to wait 18 months or more to get their lives back. Insanity.
The passage of Bill C-46 in the Senate today will give law enforcement and the courts the tools they need to keep our roads safe. It will save lives. Special thanks to Bill sponsor Senator Gwen Boniface and
@maddcanada
and
@CACP_ACCP
for your strong advocacy.
It was an honour and a privilege to testify before the
@SenateCA
SOCI Committee alongside
@mspratt
about how
#BillC45
fails to address the stigma of past criminal convictions & the history of overcriminalizing Canadians of colour while creating unintended immigration consequences
Beyond proud of my partner
@SDiGiuseppeLaw
on this incredible
@SCC_eng
victory for our client David Sullivan. For months, I watched her fight for him--and for our most cherished constitutional principles--with dignity, dedication, & limited resources. 1/2
I'm not entirely convinced.
@fordnation
has always been good at the folksy performance of governance and bad at sound policy. We may get through this with him cheering us on, but it will be despite his cuts to healthcare, justice etc not because of them.
Imagine if all accused were treated this way? The prosecution refuses to lay a murder charge because there is evidence that may support a defence?? 🤯
#JusticeForGeorgeFlyod
Hennepin Co. Attorney Freeman:
“That video is graphic and horrific and terrible and no person should do that. But my job in the end is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there's other evidence that does not support a criminal charge... I will not rush to justice.”
HE DID IT!!!!!! Congratulations to
@petersankoff
for successfully organizing the
#100Interns
project! Thanks to him, 100 law students across the country will participate in funded internships this summer, largely in crim defence. Many lost job opportunities due to COVID.
#cdnlaw
I see this with my clients all the time. An acquittal or a withdrawal of charges doesn’t eliminate all the problems associated with overzealous arrests. Many still lose jobs, housing & suffer permanent reputational damage.
Don’t be surprised if Black folks in your lives disappear from social media for a few days. Some of us need space to process why after yet another heartbreaking video capturing police brutality, black lives still don’t matter.
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
I apologize to everyone expecting to see me on Good Morning America today, but after the events in Minnesota with George Floyd I’m in no mood to tell America, good morning.
If the federal government believes that 1273 deaths per year represent such an intolerable number that it warrants the suspension of Charter-protected rights, why have they not kicked into high gear to respond to the opioid crisis?
His task is more focused and narrow. It is to decide whether the Crown has proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence presented in court. 7/X
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??!? Dear
@LawSocietyLSO
, next time I have to robe in this building, I'm sauntering into the men's robing room to do it, whether this travesty has been fixed or not.
An easy place to start to
#DefundThePolice
is getting rid of paid suspensions. It costs Toronto millions of dollars and is outrageously unfair. EXCLUSIVE: Toronto cop earned $1M over 12 year suspension
Canadians deserve freedom, not forgiveness.
At
@CannabisAmnesty
, we believe
@RalphGoodale
'
#PotPardon
bill will not go far enough to ensure Canadians will no longer be burdened by something that should never have been a crime.
Expunge cannabis records!
Thank you,
@SeanRobichaud
, for having me on your fantastic podcast. I hope racialized & Indigenous lawyers & law students take a moment to celebrate the fact that simply choosing this profession is a courageous act of defiance via
@RobichaudsCDL
I have Jewish friends who are descendants of Holocaust survivors who, in times like these, secretly wonder: "If it happens again, who would hide me."
🙋🏾♀️
Sending love.
Today, I had the privilege of celebrating
@LawSocietyLSO
’s newest lawyers in Ottawa.
As a bencher, I also had the honour of introducing
@SCC_eng
Chief Justice Wagner—my former articling principal—to Convocation for LLD conferral.
Congrats to all who worked so hard to get here!!
At this morning’s Call to the Bar ceremony in Ottawa, a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD) was conferred upon The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada.
Mayor
@JohnTory
’s remarks linking gun violence to bail are dangerously irresponsible & breathtakingly ignorant. The picture he paints of an accused released on bail 20 min. after being arrested w/ a gun is pure fantasy
@ClaOntario
Thrilled that the
#SCC
in Ward v. Quebec adopted the legal test we proposed on behalf of our clients,
@CDNConstFound
for discrimination in the context of a conflict between the right to the safeguard of dignity & freedom of expression:
#cdnlaw
1/n
This Crown injunction application needs to be filed as an exhibit to every bail application going forward, particularly the irreparable harm portion. These were the same Crowns arguing that COVID-19 is no big deal when we were trying to get our client out of jail. Unbelievable.
Ontario Crowns are seeking an injunction so they don’t have to attend court because of unsafe COVID conditions. Part of the complaint, they don’t get free masks. These are the same crowns who argue that jails are safe enough (note, inmates are not provided masks). Unbelievable.
Excited to be heading to
@queensulaw
today to teach my class, “Bias and Criminal Justice System Outcomes” to a fresh batch of engaged law students! Bonus: Getting to hang out with super-prof-mom,
@coleenlisa
!!
Can someone please identify for me the active ingredient in alcohol that keeps putting racist thoughts and despicable words in the mouths of people who claim not to be racist? Please and thank you.
Know your rights! From today, in Ontario, no police record check can ever disclose police contact where a criminal charge wasn’t laid. This includes mental health apprehensions & instances of carding. Great primer by
@cancivlib
RT:
@KateRobertson_