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It is the remaining two-thirds of cases in which the prosecution does not withdraw, that a finding of guilt is registered nearly 99% of the time, except in Quebec.

In that province, more than 13% of total cases ended with an acquittal.

One of the reasons for the discrepancy may be administrative in nature. “I often ask for withdrawals [by the Crown] to be entered as acquittals,” said Montreal defence lawyer Andrew Barbacki. “It’s better for the client,” he noted. Other provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, use the term “dismissal” and “acquittal” interchangeably, according to Statistics Canada.

And while Mr. Barbacki observed that juries in Quebec, especially French-speaking ones, might be more likely to acquit because they “go for the underdog,” the data show that the province is hardly soft on crime.

Prosecutors in Quebec withdraw charges in less than 10% of all cases. As a result, there are findings of guilt in more than 75% of total cases, higher than any other major province.

In looking at the percentage of acquittals, it is important to match that figure up against the number of contested trials, said Paul Burstein, president of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association.

In about 95% of cases in which the Crown proceeds to trial, there is a plea bargain. “Guilty to a lesser offence may engage many of the same important public interests as an acquittal,” Mr. Burstein said. “It does not mean police got it right,” he said.

As a result, the 964 acquittals registered in Ontario last year after contested trials, may be an acquittal rate closer to about 20%, suggested Mr. Burstein.

“That is nearly 1,000 people who might have been wrongfully convicted were it not for the checks and balances in our system,” he noted.

National Post