Justice Minister David Lametti is ordering a new trial for two Manitoba Indigenous men who were convicted of murder by an all-white jury in Winnipeg nearly 50 years ago.
Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse were sentenced to life in prison in 1973 for killing Ting Fong Chan. Chan was working at a local restaurant when he was fatally stabbed.
Innocence Canada, an organization that supported the convictions being quashed, says the two Indigenous men were the victims of systemic racism.
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Ron Dalton, co-president of Innocence Canada, says while the two are out of prison they are still serving a sentence.
“They’re no longer in prison but as lifers – people serving life sentences – they continue to serve their sentence in the community. So, they still need permission to travel, they’re still under the supervision of the National Parole Board, so they are far from free,” said Dalton.
Dalton says the ball is now in the court of Manitoba Justice who will decide whether or not to proceed with a re-trial, where hopefully the individuals will be brought before the court in Winnipeg sometime in the next two or three weeks.
“The charges will be read, they will enter not-guilty pleas, the Crown will stand up and acknowledge that they had no evidence to offer and they will be formally acquitted,” he said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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