Canada’s justice minister has ordered a new appeal in the case of a First Nations man wrongfully convicted more than 50 years ago, marking the country’s first-ever posthumous appeal.
Russell Woodhouse, who died of cancer in 2011, was among four young men from Pinaymootang First Nation convicted in the 1973 killing of Winnipeg father Ting Fong Chan. He was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter in 1974.
On Monday, Justice Minister Sean Fraser confirmed the order following a review by the Justice Department’s Criminal Conviction Review Group, which found “reasonable grounds to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred.”
Decades-long fight for justice
Russell’s brother Clarence Woodhouse, along with Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, were convicted of murder in the case. All three have since been exonerated by Manitoba courts and are now seeking compensation.
Russell’s family, led by his sister Linda Anderson, continued the fight after his death, applying for a conviction review with Innocence Canada in 2023.
The convictions were largely based on false confessions, written in fluent English despite the men’s limited language skills. All four said they were assaulted or tricked by police into signing the documents.
The case was prosecuted by George Dangerfield, the Crown attorney linked to four other wrongful convictions.
Racism acknowledged
In October 2024, Manitoba’s Chief Justice Glenn Joyal apologized in open court to Clarence Woodhouse, acknowledging that racism tainted every step of the police investigation and trial.
Though the new appeal does not decide guilt or innocence, it will return Russell Woodhouse’s case to court, giving his family a chance to clear his name more than a decade after his death.
Historic precedent
The justice minister’s order marks the first time a post-mortem conviction review has led to a remedy under Canada’s Criminal Code.
The federal government recently announced the creation of the Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission, based in Winnipeg, which will handle similar cases moving forward.
Fraser said the decision reflects Ottawa’s duty to address historic wrongs:
“It is the government’s responsibility to make sure Canadians can trust their justice system, and that means, in rare cases, taking action to right historic wrongs.”
