Two years ago, 45-year-old Louise Russo was shot while standing in line at a North York sandwich shop. The bullet left the mother of three permanently paralyzed.
Russo was the unintended victim of what has been described as a mob hit and four of the accused who are charged in the shooting will appear in court on Wednesday. Last week information was leaked to the media about supposed plea negotiations that have taken place between the Crown and defense lawyers. according to the source, the shooter will receive a sentence of 12 years while the other three will be sentenced to 11 years in jail. The accused, some of whom have connections with organized crime, will also pay compensation to Russo in the amount of $2.5 million (once media source is reporting $1.5 million).
The release of this proposed plea bargain generated a great deal of outrage, mainly among those who are on the right of the political spectrum. Bob Runciman, the Progressive Conservative MPP from Leeds Grenville and former Ontario Solicitor General denounced the deal as a "dangerous precedent" and "a price tag for criminal activities". Runciman also suggested that Russo should be paid from the Ontario Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and that the maximum payments that that body can make should be increased.
The Toronto Sun, in an editorial, called the proposal "a raw deal" and urged Ottawa to revamp its legislation regarding the seizure of proceeds of crime. The paper also criticized the fact that violent criminals can "buy down the length of their sentences".
What is amazing about the criticism of the proposed deal is that it is coming from those who are usually the first in line to criticize the notion of big government and bemoan the fact that we live in such a statist society. Suddenly now, Louise Russo can only be properly compensated by big government. The fact that Russo is a person that most of us agree is deserving of help from the taxpayers and her fellow citizens, does not necessarily mean that government assistance should automatically become the first answer regarding financial compensation. In the view of many Conservatives, only the help of the nanny state will do.
The maximum payments that can be made by the Ontario Criminal Injuries Compensation Board are a lump sum payment of $25,000 or monthly payments of $1,000 a month up to a total of $365,000. While these payments will go a long way in paying Russo's grocery bills, they will hardly cover not only the costs of her needs but the costs of her severely disabled daughter whose primary caregiver was, prior to the shooting, Louise Russo.
Both the Toronto Sun and Runicman are wrong when they say that the payment of $2.5 million will set a "dangerous precedent". Restitution and compensation orders are made all the time under Section 738 of the Criminal Code. and most if not all accused that agree to make restitution orders do so in order to get a lighter sentence. If there was nothing in it for them, they would not agree to make restitution. While the facts of the case are unusual because those shoot other people cannot usually afford to pay $2.50 let alone $2.5 million, the principle of restitution for a lighter sentence is firmly entrenched in our criminal justice system.
The argument has also been made that "dirty money" should not be given to Russo. Well, if it's good enough to go to the government, it's good enough to go to her. It will be $2.5 million less that is available for reinvestment in criminal enterprises. and Louise Russo will spend it to improve the quality of life for herself and her disabled daughter. If the money goes to the government it may be spent on helping the Russo family — then again it might be used to buy windmills.
and we have to remember that this is Canada. In a perfect world those who are responsible for doing what was done to Russo would be locked away for life with no possibility of parole. Given the range of criminal sentences that are imposed in this country, 11 and 12 years are nothing to sneeze at. and despite protestations to the contrary, this is hardly the "deal with the devil" that was made with Karla Homolka.
Don't just show Louise Russo the money — give her and the overtaxed Ontarians a break and pay her.
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