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Posts Tagged ‘Graham James’

Recently the Prime Ministers Office has been engaging in some populist pandering as part of the ongoing Conservative  electoral tactic of ‘getting tough on crime’.  Last month the hubbub was over reports that convicted child killer Clifford Olson has been receiving his federal pension while he continues to serve his life sentence.

This week the garment rending continues, this time about the recently come to light fact that Graham James, a former hockey coach, received a pardon for his sexual assault convictions in 2007.

The news has sparked a tsunami of indignation across the country, from hockey parents to the Prime Minister’s Office.

A spokesman for Stephen Harper called it a “deeply troubling and gravely disturbing” development that demands an explanation from the parole board.

The problem here is with people’s conception of the word ‘pardon’, which can be thought of as ‘formal forgiveness’. If a pardon is issued before one is finished serving their sentence, eyebrows are often raised (the pardon that Gerald Ford issued to Richard Nixon comes to mind). This does not happen in Canada. From the Parole Board of Canada’s webpage:

A pardon allows people who were convicted of a criminal offence, but have completed their sentence and demonstrated they are law-abiding citizens, to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.

A pardon does not ‘erase’ one’s criminal record. The pardon process is a regular aspect of the Canadian justice system; Graham James, or any other criminal who has served out their sentence, is eligible to, and should, apply for one. One could certainly argue that the pardon process needs re-evaluation, but that is not what is happening here. The mechanics of our judicial process have unfolded as they were designed to do. The only thing that is “disturbing”, is the Conservatives willingness to exploit the 24 hour news cycle at any available opportunity to make political fodder.

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