16 mai 2014

Letters Sent to Clément Fortin by Mr. Kerry Scullion Regarding his Request to the Minister of Justice to Grant Pardon to Wilbert Coffin

 
 
 Lettres que j'ai reçues de Me Kerry Scullion au sujet de la demande que j'ai faite au ministre de la Justice d'accorder le pardon à Wilbert Coffin

 
 
Marie Coffin, la soeur de Wilbert en compagnie du député Raynald Blais
 
La sœur et le fils de Wilbert Coffin, Marie et James, se sont unis pour réhabiliter la mémoire de leur proche. La famille Coffin vend des calendriers et fait signer une pétition à Gaspé. L’argent recueilli est remis à l’Association in Defense of Wrongfullly Convicted (AIDWIC). La famille Coffin a demandé l’aide de cet organisme basé à Toronto. L’avocate Élizabeth Widner, de l’AIDWIC, explique que son association a un défi de taille: prouver que des erreurs graves ont été commises dans le déroulement du procès. L’association a déjà trouvé de nouveaux témoins à Gaspé.
Archives Enjeu Le mystère Coffin
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Clément Fortin's Letter to the Hon. Peter MacKay Regarding his Request for Coffin's Pardon



 
 
 
Lettre à l'honorable Peter MacKay, ministre de la Justice et procureur général du Canada au sujet de la demande qu'il lui a faite de gracier Wilbert Coffin
 
 
 
 
Saint-Sauveur, May 2nd, 2014

 

 

 

Honourable  Peter Gordon MacKay
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284, Wellington Street
Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0H8

Re. Request to the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of Justice of Canada and the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness asking that a pardon be granted to Wilbert Coffin

Dear Sir:

In reply to my request to you for the pardon of Wilbert Coffin, Mr. Scullion of your Department sent me a letter. It seems that my request has not been understood. Given the thorough study that I have made of the Coffin affair, I never came to the conclusion that Wilbert Coffin was a victim of miscarriage of justice. You will find enclosed the letter I received from Mr. Scullion and my response. To avoid further misunderstanding, I also include a copy of my request to you for the pardon of Wilbert Coffin.

Lately, the Queen granted pardon to Alan Turing. You possess, Sir, that same power.

Hoping that you will close this file once and for all and relieve the Coffin family by granting pardon to Wilbert Coffin, I am, Sir,

Yours truly,

Clément Fortin, retired lawyer

40, de la Marquise Street,

Saint-Sauveur, Québec

Enclosed (3)

Clément Fortin's Response to Kerry Scullion, Director/General Counsel Criminal Conviction Review Group regarding Coffin's Pardon





Ma réponse à Me Kerry Scullion directeur du Groupe de révision des condamnations criminelles

 My response to Mr. Kerry Scullion, Director/General Counsel
Criminal Conviction Review Group

 

Saint-Sauveur,  May 2nd 2014

 

Mr. Kerry Scullion,

Director/General Counsel

Criminal Conviction Review Group

284 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0H8

 

Re. WILBERT COFFIN – REQUEST FOR PARDON

Mr. Scullion,

I just returned home after a month of absence. It explains this late response to your letter dated April 10, 2014.

Your Re. WILBERT COFFIN – APPLICATION FOR MINISTERIAL REVIEW should read WILBERT COFFIN – REQUEST FOR PARDON.

Pardon is requested because a crime was committed. If I had come to the conclusion that Wilbert Coffin was innocent, I would have requested that his name be cleared. For example, pardon was granted by the Queen to Alan Turing. He was never declared innocent but he was granted pardon.

You say that matters as miscarriage of justice « must be carefully reviewed in accordance with what the law requires. » You say that this has been done. But what has been done? You have been requested by the Canadian Parliament to review this matter seven years ago. You should by now be able to let us know your conclusions.

You mention that you are « currently awaiting submissions from counsel with the Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted (AIDWYC) on behalf of the Coffin family. My understanding is that AIDWYC has no more interest in this affair. It would appear consequent after waiting for their submissions for seven years

 

2

 

I do not recall having received any of those letters you mention having been addressed to me on April 30, 2009, October 23, 2009, August 18, 2010, December 9, 2010, and February 15, 2012. I would appreciate receiving a copy of those letters.

Please read again my Request and you will understand that  as a result of my research on this affair I concluded that Coffin was guilty and that it was not a miscarriage of justice. So please correct your file accordingly.

Before submitting my request to the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety, I inquired about the procedure I should follow in this regard. At the Department of Justice of Canada, I was told to send my request to the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety.

Since you have not forwarded a copy of the letter you sent me to those Ministers, I will do so along with this letter and a copy of my request. To make sure there is no misunderstanding of my request let me quote the relevant paragraph : « The conclusions I arrived at in a study that I have made of Wilbert Coffin’s trial before the Court of Queen’s Bench, in Percé, in 1954, along with those of the Brossard Commission of Inquiry on the Coffin Affair, in 1964, do not, in my view, permit to clear Coffin’s name. However, to accomplish, even partially, the promises that many members of parliament have made to the Coffin family, a pardon granted to Wilbert Coffin would close this very sad affair.”

 

I am awaiting a favorable answer from the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety. At last, this will certainly relieve the Coffin family.

 

Yours truly,

 

Clément Fortin, writer and retired lawyer

40, de la Marquise Street

Saint-Sauveur (Québec) J0R 1R4

450 227 5044

C.C. Ministers of Justice and Public Affaire.

Enclosed

My Request for Pardon

Response from the Department of Justice to the Request for Coffin's Pardon

 
Voici la réponse que j'ai reçue de Me Kerry Scullion au nom du ministère de la Justice du Canada à ma demande d'accorder le pardon à Wilbert Coffin



 
Response from the Department of Justice of Canada to my request for Coffin's pardon