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 Editorials | Opinions | April 2008 
Canada's Glass House
 Robert Marshall - Winnipeg Sun
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 |  | Mexico, although not perfect, is a free, independent and democratic country with its own rules. It shouldn't be subjected to or bow to threats of an economic boycott from Canada, a country with healthy flaws of its own. |  | | | |
By now most Canadians have heard of Brenda Martin, the Canadian who's locked up in Mexico, on a suicide watch and the catalyst for many other Canadians to go out and mount their high horses.
A few years back Martin, a cook with some issues, supposedly had a job preparing meals for a first-rate swindler - another Canadian with a home base in Mexico - who bilked 15,000 victims out of about $60 million.
INVESTED
Somewhere along the line it seems Martin got into some kind of spat with the swindler's mom and was fired. But not before the thief gave her a year's severance that she promptly invested into the said con man's "company." She claims she had no idea what the cheat was up to. That may be so. Or not.
Nevertheless, she got caught up in an investigative dragnet and for the last two years has been grounded in a Mexican jail awaiting trial on scam-related charges.
And that's got some folks' dander up. Websites, support groups, even a rally last weekend on Parliament Hill have demanded action. Some media types believe they've come across the "next real victim" in Brenda Martin. That may be true. Or not.
Stephen Harper, commenting on the case and the two years without trial said: "the process is unacceptably slow and I think it troubles all of us," but at the same time reminded Canadians that Mexico is not Canada.
Who really knows the extent of culpability in this case? I haven't a clue whether Brenda Martin is guilty, a little bit guilty or completely innocent. Those outraged Canadians are in the same boat.
But that doesn't seem to matter. From high on their mounts the outraged say two years is too long to wait for a trial and have demanded that Martin be freed. And that Mexico risks a bully's boycott for a failed compliance.
Instead of looking way down south form their perches, those weighing in on this Martin business should examine things a little closer to home. Canadian remand facilities are not only familiar with violence and suicide, but waiting two years for trial is peanuts by our standards.
LANGUISHED
A few months ago I was speaking with a friend called for jury duty. And while the case he was to hear was serious - manslaughter - he thought equally serious was the fact that it had languished in the courts since 2003. Five years.
A couple of weeks ago a different trial hit a snag when police and prosecutors couldn't locate a witness with evidence germane to the case. Lost in the reporting, perhaps just numb from reality, was that crime took place in February 2004. Four years ago.
Go back to the autumn of 1987, the body of 63-year old Erwin Kakoschke, a victim of a fatal beating, was found in the front yard of his Winnipeg home. Fast forward to the fall of 2001. A cross-country investigation by the Winnipeg police was completed and three males were arrested. That was seven years ago. To date there has been no trial. No finding of guilt, yet three men remain charged with second degree murder.
These are not exceptions to the rule.
As for Brenda Martin and her troubles, Mexico, although not perfect, is a free, independent and democratic country with its own rules. It shouldn't be subjected to or bow to threats of an economic boycott from Canada, a country with healthy flaws of its own.
There's a thing about glass houses and stones.
Robert Marshall was a police officer for 27 years. Email comments to rm112800(at)hotmail.com. |
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