29°c A few clouds
15°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Canada backtracks on death-row plea: lawyer
DEER LODGE, Mont. -- Lawyers for convicted double killer Ronald Smith are accusing the Canadian government of reneging on an offer to speak on his behalf at a hearing in Montana to determine whether he will get the death penalty or clemency.
The Harper government gave only tepid support to Smith's plea for clemency with its initial response last year and made it clear there would be no one making a presentation at the hearing in Montana this week.
But Smith's lawyers were excited on Monday when they received news Marie-Eve Lamy, a consul at the Canadian Consulate General in Denver, was going to read a statement on behalf of the Harper government.
Lamy attended Smith's clemency hearing Wednesday morning and was added as a last-minute witness for Smith's defence team.
But in the afternoon, Lamy was gone, which prompted lawyer Don Vernay to read the copy he had of her statement into the official court record.
"We were really somewhat surprised and she said the Government of Canada wants me to read this," he said, holding a copy of her statement.
"Then this morning she comes up and says, 'I just heard from headquarters that they don't want me to read this.' They want her to read the original one instead. She said to me, 'This is what they want and what do you want?' I said nothing. I said, 'Thank you very much,' and let her go her way."
The office of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird did not offer an explanation for the apparent change of heart.
"The Government of Canada's only comment is minister Baird's December 2011 letter to the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole," Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Karen Foss said in an email.
That original letter, signed by Baird last December, was short and to the point.
"The Government of Canada does not sympathize with violent crime and this letter should not be construed as reflecting a judgment on Mr. Smith's conduct," it read.
"The Government of Canada... requests that you grant clemency to Mr. Smith on humanitarian grounds."
Greg Jackson, Smith's lawyer for 25 years, didn't mince words about what he called an unexplainable change once again in the Canadian government's position.
"It's been treachery. It's almost Shakespearean in nature... They still supported clemency but they withdrew their enthusiastic support," he said.
The statement, although not a glowing endorsement, was considerably more enthusiastic than the original letter.
"Mr. Smith has served 29 years in prison for his crime and he has expressed remorse for his actions. The Government of Canada is seeking clemency for Mr. Smith on humanitarian grounds."
The board intends to release its recommendation the week of May 21.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer will have the final say.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 4, 2012 A18
More Canada
- Back to Top
- Return to Canada
More Canada
(1 of 31 articles for today)
Great-grandma can finally cross high school grad ceremony off her bucket list
3:02 PM 0VANCOUVER - A great-grandmother who has waited 56 years to get her high school diploma says she can finally cross ...
Poll
Most Popular Canada
- Corruption in Quebec: A blow-by-blow account
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- Toronto MP, former Liberal leader Bob Rae resigning House of Commons seat
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Next! Montreal seeks yet another mayor after second one quits in scandal
- Tory attacks on Trudeau boomerang, raise questions about PMO involvement
- Border agency warns of telephone scam, says it doesn't make calls
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- 30,000 people homeless on a given night, first-ever national tally suggests
- Montreal will get its new, new mayor Tuesday
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Montreal's interim mayor, a self-styled corruption fighter, faces fraud charges
- Corruption in Quebec: A blow-by-blow account
- Woman charged after drink tossed at embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- Questions about Mayor Rob Ford overshadow news of huge police raids
- Trudeau to compensate charities that paid him to help raise money
- Training manuals for Parliament guides boost Senate, praise two-party system
- RCMP confirms it's investigating Nigel Wright payment to Mike Duffy
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Controversy around Toronto mayor Rob Ford continues to grow
- Glover, Bezan fight suspension from Parliament
- Alleged Rob Ford drug video 'gone,' source tells Gawker
- Gawker hits $200K for 'crack cocaine' video as mayor's senior aides resign
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- 'I am not stepping aside,' Mayor Rob Ford says, as 'crack video' scandal rages
- Mother cries, yells as driver appears in court charged with killing boy on patio
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- 30,000 people homeless on a given night, first-ever national tally suggests
- Next! Montreal seeks yet another mayor after second one quits in scandal
- Alberta judge calls killing of sleeping five-year-old 'domestic terrorism'
- Force used on protester reasonable: cop's lawyer
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- The Great One firmly believes NHL will return to Quebec City someday
- Border agency warns of telephone scam, says it doesn't make calls
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Feds want to extend blanket of permanent secrecy over 11 new agencies
- 30,000 people homeless on a given night, first-ever national tally suggests
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- B.C. is 'in the risk zone' for mega-earthquake along the coast: study
- Squirrel takes whirl in toilet; woman rescues rodent with barbecue tongs
- Wendy's 9-patty burger extinct
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Glover, Bezan fight suspension from Parliament
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- Banff officials hunt for cougar that man fought off with skateboard
- Harper government brings in new performance review system for public service
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- Up to one of every three members of new tribunal gave money to Conservatives
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.