I watched former Attorney General Michael Bryant's short comment after his release yesterday. There's a video of the statement at the Toronto Star if you want to watch.
He was offering condolences to the family of Darcy Alan Sheppard, the 33-year-old cyclist who died after an encounter with Bryant on Monday night. He went on to thank people who were supporting his family. His comments made it sound as though Bryant thought he was the victim in the case.
I get that the matter is before the courts so he obviously wouldn't comment on any details, but condolences? A simple 'no comment' would have made more sense.
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Some U.S. readers have expressed concerns about the 'slap on the wrist' aspect of Bryant's charges in the case.
Dangerous driving is a crminal offense in Canada, it is not a traffic offense. Here's some info from an Ontario criminal lawyers' site:
A Dangerous Driving conviction results in a criminal
record and an automatic one-year licence suspension. Dangerous driving
offences resulting bodily harm can result in the accused being sent to
jail, and imprisonment for up to ten (10) years. An accused convicted
of Dangerous Driving cause death is liable for imprisonment of up to
fourteen (14) years.
Criminal negligence causing death carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, which in Canada is 25 years. Here's the section from the Criminal Code of Canada.So Bryant is in serious trouble.
