Canadians should expect politicians to support right to bail, Virani's office says

The office of Canada's justice minister says the public should expect politicians to support their right to bail and to be presumed innocent — warning that «immediate» and «uninformed reactions» only worsens matters.

A jury on Sunday found Umar Zameer not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a Toronto police officer who was run over in an underground parking garage in July 2021.

A spokesperson for Justice Minister Arif Virani says the office knows the circumstances surrounding Const. Jeffrey Northrup's death have inflicted «deep wounds» on everybody involved.

The minister's office says it extends its condolences to Northrup's family and also recognizes the «emotional turmoil» that Zameer and his family had to endure.

After the jury delivered its verdict, the judge took the rare step of apologizing to Zameer for all he experienced since first being charged.

That included several months in detention until he was granted bail in a decision that sparked outrage from then-Toronto mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

It was not until the jury was sequestered that the bail decision showing how weak the Crown's murder case was could be made public.

Ford told reporters on Tuesday that he only had «limited information» when he initially called Zameer's release on bail «completely unacceptable» and an example of the justice system needing «to get its act together.» He also said Zameer was «the person responsible.»

Virani's office says the public should be proud that someone's guilt or innocence is decided by «impartial» juries and judges.

'Rarely are all the facts of a case known'

«Canadians should expect politicians to support the fundamental rights that underpin our justice system including the presumption of innocence