The Folly Of ‘Gladue’

“Media reports have described Christine Mequish as “among the most dangerous women in the country”, a convicted killer with a record that includes 25 violent crimes since 1984. Last April, following an armed robbery conviction in La Tuque, Que., the 58-year-old was declared a dangerous offender — just the fourth Canadian woman ever designated as such. 

But while noting her “brutal behaviour” and the likelihood that she will again cause “death, serious abuse or serious psychological harm to other people”, the sentencing judge stopped short of ordering the indeterminate sentence requested by the Crown.

“The reason for the lighter sentence: Mequish is an aboriginal…