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07/28/07
The Definition of Life in Canada
By Lee Hanlon
Robert Forslund, 28 and Katherine Quinn, 24 were found guilty of the second degree murder of 16 year old Mathew Martins. Both Forslund and Quinn were given an automatic life sentence. In Canada a life sentence is only 25 years. Forslund can apply for parole after serving 17 years and Quinn can apply for parole after serving 10 years. So much for life! A life sentence in Canada, is worse than slap in the face for the victim and the victim’s family.
The victim, Mathew Martin was found brutally beaten and lying at the bottom of an escalator at the Surrey Central SkyTrain at around 2:30 AM on July 2, 2005.
After a confrontation between Martins and Quinn, Forslund chased down Martins and methodically beat him to death. Makes one wonder why Crown Prosecutor Wendy Dawson was thinking when she put murder two on the table. Also makes one wonder what Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly was thinking about when he showed leniency in his sentence.
In Canada, there is no such sentence as Life. Someday Forslund and Quinn will be out on parole and will be able to kill again. These are two very dangerous violent criminals and should never be able to see the light of day.
In Canada there are two parts to a life sentence. The first part is a 25 year jail term. The second part is life on parole. Yet, when a person is on parole he or she is free to commit future crimes. A life term in a jail is just that. Life! Meaning the only way the convict will be released is when he’s leaving via a body bag.
There are things that really need to change in Canada. One, life needs to be just that, life. Two, the prosecutors and courts need to get tough on crime. Three, re-instate capital punishment. Without these reforms Canada will never see justice again.