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| Ron Dalton |
In a perfectly timed development, federal Minister of Justice Sean Fraser announced on Sept. 29 that the 1974 conviction of Russell Woodhouse is being sent back to the Manitoba Court of Appeal for a fresh review.
Russell was one of four young Indigenous men convicted in Winnipeg for the 1973 death of Ting Fong Chan; the other three have already been acquitted. All four individuals suffered under the deprivations that accompany wrongful conviction in our country for over 50 years. I have had the privilege of meeting the other three men and recently spent a few days in the company of two of them. I will be honoured to share with them in the annual Wrongful Conviction Day gathering in October.
Sadly, I will never have the opportunity to meet Russell Woodhouse as he died in 2011 before Innocence Canada was able to convince the minister to refer his case back to the Manitoba Court of Appeal.
The mandate of Innocence Canada is to seek justice for the wrongly convicted, and as a co-president and an exoneree, it is a sacred duty I take very seriously. I am proud to say our organization does not stop seeking justice for a wrongly convicted individual simply because they have died. In fact, the imperative to right such a horrendous wrong intensifies when the person is no longer here to proclaim their own innocence. It is entirely fitting that I write this on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as the criminal cases brought against Russell and the other young Indigenous men over 50 years ago were firmly rooted in the racial prejudices and corrupt practices of the 1970s.
I am writing from the comfort of my home on Prince Edward Island under the shadow of a dream catcher in the shape of Turtle Island given to me by my late friend, Donald (Junior) Marshall Jr. Although I shared the experience of wrongful conviction with Junior and the four young men from Winnipeg, I make no pretense of fully appreciating their lived experiences as Indigenous victims of wrongful conviction. I do consider the dedication of Innocence Canada in following up on Russell’s case long after his death a form of reconciliation in keeping with the spirit of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
I believe we as a country need to face the tragic mistakes of our collective past in order to move forward in the true spirit of reconciliation and that we are stronger for accepting the challenge of Russell’s family to seek the justice he was denied in life. As a volunteer member of the Innocence Canada board of directors, and especially as one who lived the experience of wrongful conviction, I derive personal pleasure every time we are able to celebrate another step toward justice for a client. I commend the minister and the Innocence Canada staff and volunteer lawyers for their commitment to bringing this important case forward notwithstanding Russell’s untimely passing. Justice is too important to let a little thing like death stand in the way. Russell’s family and Canadians in general deserve nothing less.
In 1988, Ron Dalton was a 32-year-old bank manager when he was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife. It took the next 12 years to prove his innocence, restore his freedom and return him to his family, including the couple’s three children. Since that ordeal, Dalton has tried to reintegrate into family life and earn a living, and he is co-chair of Innocence Canada, a nonprofit organization working to free other wrongly convicted individuals.
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