Several Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizens want self-government jobs to be more accessible
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Globe and Mail
15 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Quebec minister says race shouldn't have played a role in Black man's reduced sentence
A Quebec minister responsible for fighting racism is criticizing a ruling by a judge who reduced a convicted Black man's sentence due to systemic discrimination. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Christopher Skeete said that someone's race should not be a factor affecting sentencing for a crime. 'I question whether or not as a society this is exactly where we want to go,' the minister said. 'Do we really want to formalize discrimination in the attribution of sentences for people who perpetrate crimes?' Skeete was reacting to a Quebec court ruling by Judge Magali Lepage, who sentenced Frank Paris globe, 52, to a two-year sentence in late July, after he pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking cannabis and hashish. Paris's lawyer, Andrew Galliano, said the Crown had initially pushed for a four-year sentence in a case heard in Longueuil, near Montreal. Because he got credit for time served, Paris has already been released, his lawyer said. 'It was surreal to have him walk into my office the next day and to be able to shake his hand and congratulate him, because it took courage from him too,' said Galliano. Three charged in connection to Quebec migrants case detained until next hearing Three men denied bail in alleged militia plot in Quebec The lawyer said he argued for a reduced sentence after submitting a report that described his client's background as an intergenerational survivor of slavery. Though he was raised in Montreal, Paris's mother was from Nova Scotia, and he often spent his summers in a town in the central part of the Atlantic province, where 'these traumas continue to be felt and experienced in the education, housing, employment, health and justice systems,' the report noted. The report described how Paris faced racial discrimination multiple times, including an incident when he was wrongfully detained in a holding cell for immigrants despite being a Canadian citizen. Galliano said this type of report is commonly used in criminal proceedings in provinces like Nova Scotia where the courts have recognized the impacts of systemic racism. 'Quebec is far behind,' the lawyer said. 'And that's what I pleaded to the judge.' Skeete, who initially described the sentence on social media as a 'sad first for Quebec,' said he wanted to initiate a public debate about the matter. The minister added he respects the independence of courts in Quebec. 'What we're trying to do is to correct the historical wrong, but the problem is we're creating new injustices, and we're creating two types of citizens: one that is racialized and one that isn't,' Skeete told The Canadian Press. 'The fight against racism has always been one about equality under the law, yet here, we're actually well intentioned but creating inequality,' he added. 'I don't think that creating more inequality is the solution to the problem.' Montreal defence lawyer Sharon Sandiford played an advisory role in the case. She said the minister appears to have misconceptions about what kind of instructions sentencing judges must adhere to. 'What the judge did in Mr. Paris's case was to apply exactly what the case law has required her to apply,' Sandiford said.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Windsor man, 22, found guilty of supporting white-supremacist terrorist group
A Windsor judge on Thursday convicted a local man on a rare terrorism-related charge, finding him guilty of offering his 'skill and expertise' to a violent, extremist white-supremacy group listed in Canada as a terrorist entity. Article content Seth Bertrand, now 22 but only 18 at the time he filed an online application in 2021 to join the since-disbanded Atomwaffen Division, faces up to 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October. Article content Article content Article content 'I'll certainly be arguing to keep my client out of jail,' defence lawyer Bobby Russon told reporters after Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia delivered her hour-long decision. Article content The verdict came as 'no shock' to him or his client, he said. But Russon insists the hateful views Bertrand once espoused as a teenager are in the past. Article content Bertrand was arrested in 2022 following an elaborate RCMP-led sting that included the use of undercover officers who gained their target's trust by posing as like-minded individuals. In his online application to join Atomwaffen, later rebranded as National Socialist Order, Bertrand wrote of a 'beautiful' future following a race war in which the white race wins and establishes an ethnocentric, heterosexual nation without gay people, Blacks, Jews and Hispanics: 'They are the enemy.' Article content Article content While not charged with any specific act of terrorism, Justice Carroccia referred to the 'preventative purpose of the legislation' that makes it a crime for directly or indirectly 'enhancing the ability of the terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.' Article content The judge referred to Bertrand 'boasting' to the group of previous hateful mischief acts in Windsor for which he would be convicted, including targeting the home and vehicle of a married gay couple and vandalizing the Windsor office of a trans support group. Article content Bertrand, using his high school computer account, said in his application he had 'already proven myself worthy' by such acts, citing his acts of vandalism and the resulting news media attention. Asked by the recruiters what he could contribute to the organization, the former cadet said he had military skills — including 'Russian fighting techniques' — and that he was a self-taught auto mechanic. If imprisoned for his previous criminal mischief, he said he would use his time behind bars recruiting for the cause. Article content An idiot, not a terrorist Article content During the trial, the defence conceded Bertrand's views on minorities might have been 'problematic' and even 'deplorable,' but Russon argued his young client was 'an idiot, not a terrorist.'
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Carney says he's focused on building up Canada but talks with U.S. continue
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday Canadians are focused on building up their economy after U.S. President Donald Trump again hit nations around the world with increased tariffs — days after slapping Canada with a higher duty. Carney said there is a lot to do in Canada and his government is focused on 'what we can control.' 'Yes we are having discussions with the Americans but Canadians want us to focus here at home,' the prime minister told reporters in Ottawa. Trump escalated his trade war last week by hitting Canada with a baseline 35 per cent tariff that applies only to goods not covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA. Just after midnight on Thursday, U.S. tariffs on goods from more than 60 other nations and the European Union were increased. The duties range from a low of 10 per cent to 50 per cent for Brazil. Story continues below advertisement 'BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TARIFFS ARE NOW FLOWING INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!' Trump posted on social media just after the duties took effect. 2:30 Business Matters: Trump's new tariffs on dozens of countries take effect The EU, Japan and South Korea — which have brokered trade agreement frameworks with the Trump administration — saw U.S. tariffs increase to 15 per cent. Bangladesh and Vietnam were hit with 20 per cent duties. Switzerland saw its tariff increase to 39 per cent. Nations are also being hit with Trump's separate tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper and automobiles. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy American tariffs are now at a level not seen in the U.S. in almost a century. The Budget Lab at Yale, a non-partisan policy research centre, has said Americans will see an average tax of 18.3 per cent on imported products, the highest rate since 1934. Story continues below advertisement Ontario Premier Doug Ford told media outlet CNN on Wednesday that 'a tariff on Canada is a tax on the American people.' 'This is hurting the American people,' Ford said, adding that Canada and other countries are 'diversifying our trade.' When asked how Canadians view Trump, Ford said he's 'probably the most disliked politician in the world in Canada because he's attacked his closest family member, and that's the way we look on it.' 'And when I talk to the governors, senators and congresspeople, even Republicans totally disagree, but they're too scared to come out and say anything because the president will go after them,' he added. 0:42 Ford calls Trump 'probably the most disliked politician in the world in Canada' Signs are emerging that Trump's tariffs are starting to drag down the American economy. After the release of a bleak jobs report last week, Trump fired the head of the agency that produces the monthly figures. Story continues below advertisement The U.S. Commerce Department said inflation was ticking slightly upward in June. The greatest hurdle facing Trump's ongoing efforts to realign global trade may be the courts. Last week, Trump's use of a national security statute for the so-called 'Liberation Day' duties and fentanyl-related tariffs faced tough questions from federal appellate judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The judges asked the Trump administration's lawyer about the president's use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977 to impose duties — despite the fact that the word 'tariff' is found nowhere in the statute. No decision was issued from the bench last week but the pending ruling was clearly weighing on the president just before his global tariffs came into place. 'THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP AMERICA'S GREATNESS WOULD BE A RADICAL LEFT COURT THAT WANTS TO SEE OUR COUNTRY FAIL!' Trump posted on social media just before midnight. 2:06 Carney meets with cabinet, premiers on response to Trump's increased tariffs Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday that Canada should maintain targeted tariffs to pressure the Americans to 'restore a true free-trading relationship.' Story continues below advertisement 'We need to narrowly target our counter-tariffs at things that maximize the impact on the Americans while minimizing impact on Canadians,' he told a press conference in Calgary. Carney told reporters earlier this week that he might lift some counter-tariffs if that helps Canada in the ongoing trade dispute. The Liberal government's approach has divided the premiers. Ford has said Ottawa should hit back hard with counter-tariffs, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has called for easing retaliatory measures. Poilievre slammed Carney for failing to get a deal by Trump's Aug. 1 deadline. 'He has made concession after concession to President Trump. He's been bending over backwards for the president and so far has gotten nothing in return,' he said. The Conservative leader pledged to introduce a bill in Parliament this fall to repeal a list of laws he said are blocking production and development. Poilievre will first have to win a seat in the House of Commons in an Aug. 18 byelection. —With files from Alessia Passafiume, Sarah Ritchie and The Associated Press
