INNOCENCE CANADA

Last week in the Waterloo Region Record one of their Editorials was titled "Fund this vital watchdog". The vital watchdog is Innocence Canada formerly known as The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. Various well known cases of wrongful conviction include David Milgaard, Guy Paul Morin and Steven Truscott. Since 1993 this organization has freed 21 individuals serving time in prison for crimes they did not commit. The total of 26 exonerations in Canadian history have resulted in 190 years behind bars for these wrongly convicted citizens.

This non-profit organization can no longer fund themselves. They have done excellent work on behalf of justice in this country. Despite that or I hate to even think it, perhaps because of it, they have recently been denied funding by the federal department of justice. Yes this group have shone a light upon various serious weaknesses in our justice system. That combined with their clearing Canadian citizens of wrongful murder convictions should be the determining factor. Embarrassment or political posturing should not be part of this decision.