Readers of my weekly column will know that I had recently expressed optimism that the 45 year ordeal of Steven Truscott might be over. Truscott, at age 14 was the youngest person to be sentenced to death in Canada for the rape and murder of a 12 year-old schoolmate, Lynne Harper. Eventually commuted to prison and then paroled, Truscott has always maintained his innocence, and over the past five years, several investigations have brought to light some serious flaws in the original 1959 investigation. (The CBC have a pretty good backgrounder on this).
The case has become over the years a symbol for a loss of innocence in Canadian culture--it was one of the factors that led to the abolition of the death penalty, and it has always been a sore spot with many citizens in a country noted for its law-abiding nature.
There was hope that an application to the Federal Minister of Justice might bring about a new trial, which might effectively quash the conviction. But today brings the bad news that the Minister instead referred the case to the Ontario Provincial Court of Appeals. While it's a step forward, I do despair for the sluggishness of any remedy to present itself.
Posted by Graeme Burk at October 28, 2004 03:58 PMSo do you think there's anything to Michael Moore's suggestion that Canada is less violent than the United States because it has less of a history of slavery?
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at October 28, 2004 05:03 PMI am highly suspicious of any sweeping cultural-historical explanations for this (after all, Canada had its own Wild West at one time).
I think you're best starting with modern comparative poverty levels and working from there (dearie me, I'm starting to turn into M****a).
Posted by: Alan Allport at October 29, 2004 04:27 AMWell, obviously there's never one single explanation, but the institution of slavery did a big whack of damage to U.S. national cohesion. Might it in fact have had something to do with causing the modern comparative poverty levels?
/M (accept no substitute)
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at October 29, 2004 05:07 AMWow, Allport, you're turning into Hogue.
Anyhoo, Michael Moore says interesting things, doesn't he? And I have no idea if he's right, but I doubt it. I think it has more to do with our legislating our independence, our acceptance, rather than rejection, of British heritage, and our unique tendency toward compromise. We had a wildish west...but we invented the mounties to take care of it.
Posted by: Graeme Burk at October 29, 2004 05:17 AMLook, would you all stop trying to copy me? I've worked really hard on this persona so get your own!
Posted by: Alan Hogue at October 29, 2004 09:38 AM