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

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNP Comment 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 Author of the article: By Jamie Sarkonak Published Sep 24, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 5 minute read Join the conversation PHOTO BY POSTMODERN STUDIO - ADOBE STOCK Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content RECOMMENDED VIDEOS Article content Article content The judge said six years was the “low end” for this type of crime. The Crown prosecutor sought an eight-year sentence. Article content Channel Israel 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. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content But in this case, the judge landed on two years. The smuggler’s personal background played a large role, which made sense — this judge, Diana Vandor, was once the chair of the B.C. Human Rights Commission. The sentence amounted to time served: the offender had already spent a year and a half in jail, and for that received credit of an additional half-year. Article content What was so compelling about her backstory? It was tragic, similar to many people who get drawn up into organized crime. The woman’s father was absent and her mother was a drug addict. She witnessed meth use from a young age and bounced between homes, living with her mother some years, and aunts other years. Article content She dropped out of school at 14 and had a baby at 17 with her boyfriend, a drug…