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Bending the Legal System


Kip Powick

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All things being equal, Dennis Thibault didn't have a prayer of getting bail.

The lanky, fast-talking street person had evaporated into the streets of downtown Toronto last July, after his arrest on cocaine-trafficking charges, and missed three consecutive court dates. Few judges would have considered taking a chance on him again.

But all things were not equal. The courtroom Mr. Thibault was led into last week – known as a Gladue Court – was created after a landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling urged judges to be sensitive to the long-standing plight of aboriginal people.

Mr. Thibault was released on bail with a token $500 surety and a direction that he take drug treatment at an aboriginal centre.

“My client was very fortunate that the stars lined up for him,” Mr. Thibault's lawyer, Steven Dallal, said afterward. “His counterpart in an ordinary court would probably not have been released.”

Full Globe Article

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Double standards for Canadians...again

The Natives can't fix the very serious problems they have within their own community according to the article, yet the plan to send people like the mentioned offender back to the community for rehab is a good idea?

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This is the one that just apalled me - once you're abandoned by the gov't and the law, what protections does one have. What would have happenned if these homeowners took the law into their own hands? McGuinty really has no place in a position of responsibility.

Globe and Mail

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