Canada's Justice Minister Sean Fraser has ordered a new appeal for the Quewezance sisters, who were convicted of the 1993 murder of Anthony Dolff. The decision comes after a review found reasonable grounds to believe a miscarriage of justice occurred in the case of the two Indigenous women.
The 1993 death of Anthony Dolff and the 1994 convictions
The Quewezance sisters were convicted in 1994 for the death of 70-year-old Anthony Dolff in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. Following their conviction for second-degree murder, both women were sentenced to life in prison, where they have remained for three decades. as reported in the source, the sisters are now among the longest-serving female inmates in the Canadian prison system.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser exercised his authority under the Criminal Code to return the case to the courts. According to the report, Fraser stated that this move is necessary to ensure Canadians can trust the justice system, though he clarified that the decision does not determine the actual guilt or innocence of the Quewezance sisters; that determination remains the responsibility of the courts.
James Lockyer's challenge to unrecorded RCMP confessions
Toronto-based lawyer James Lockyer has long argued that the original trial was fundamentally flawed . Lockyer contends that the confessions provided by the sisters—who were 18 and 21 years old at the time of the 1993 incident—were not recorded and should never have been presented to the jury.
The legal challenge highlights a stark power imbalance during the initial investigation. Lockyer pointed out that the two young Indigenous women, both victims of the residential school system, were held by an RCMP detachment composed entirely of white, male police officers. This dynamic, Lockyer argues, created an environment where a miscarriage of justice was highly probable.
The 51 per cent Indigenous female incarceration rate
The legal battle for the Quewezance sisters is viewed by James Lockyer as a symptom of a systemic failure within the Canadian judiciary.. lockyer noted that 51 per cent of women in federal penitentiaries are Indigenous, a statistic he describes as extraordinary and indicative of unfair treatment of Indigenous people from the 1990s to the present day.
Because of this disparity, Lockyer believes the outcome of the Quewezance case could serve as a catalyst for a Canada-wide inquiry. Such an investigation would aim to uncover why Indigenous women are disproportionately represented in the federal prison population, though Lockyer acknowledges that such an inquiry cannot happen until the current legal proceedings are resolved.
The undisclosed evidence and the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal
While Minister Sean Fraser's decision was based on an in-depth review of new information, the specific nature of that evidence remains a secret.. James Lockyer is currently bound by an undertaking signed with the minister's office, meaning the details will only be revealed during the proceedings before the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.
The path to a resolution remains long and complex. According to the report, the next steps include filing fresh evidence, potential responses from the Crown, and possible cross-examinations. Lockyer does not expect the appeal to be heard this year, and he is simultaneously pursuing bail for the sisters, who are currently back in the system for violating their curfews.
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