Ontario Court of Appeal denies lesser sentences for Indigenous men in meth dealing case
The Ontario Court of Appeal has rejected a father-son meth dealing team’s request for a sentencing reduction based on their Indigenous background, ruling that deterrence comes before consideration of historical oppression for those convicted of serious drug crimes.
The ruling – upholding seven-year jail sentences for both the father and son – is the latest to consider how the particular circumstances of Indigenous offenders should affect everything from sentences to bail to what a jury is permitted to hear about the accused during a trial.
