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Jamie Sarkonak: Why Māori criminals get racial sentence discounts in Canada

A recent case out of B.C. shows that Canadian courts have to atone for colonialism in other countries, too

It’s official: Canada’s race-based sentencing regime applies to Māori New Zealanders — and it’s so powerful that it can shave what should be a seven-year sentence down to one, and protect offenders from being publicly identified.

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We learned this from a B.C. meth-trafficking case that was published Friday. It arose from a bust that happened at the Vancouver International Airport back in February 2025, in which a Māori-Tongan woman was intercepted in her attempt to fly 20 kilograms of methamphetamine back to Auckland in her suitcase. In Canada, if sold by the kilo, it was worth between $80,000 and $90,000; in New Zealand, it was worth at least four times that.

Jamie Sarkonak: Why Māori criminals get racial sentence discounts in Canada Back to video

The judge said six years was the “low end” for this type of crime. The Crown prosecutor sought an eight-year sentence.

Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.

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