Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Nova Scotia. Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr. Prosecution
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1986-1990
History
The Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr. Prosecution was struck by Order in Council on 28 October 1986. Chief Justice T. Alexander Hickman (chair), Chief Justice Lawrence A. Poitras and the Hon. Gregory Thomas Evans, QC were appointed commissioners. The commission was mandated to inquire into, report on, and make recommendations respecting the May 1971 death of William Sandford Seale, the prosecution of Donald Marshall, Jr. for Seale's murder, and his subsequent wrongful conviction and imprisonment. The commission discharged its mandate through a broad inquiry into the Nova Scotia justice system, including the latter's treatment of visible minorities and the role within the system of police and politicians. The commission held extensive public hearings in Sydney and Halifax in 1987-1988, accepting presentations from 114 witnesses and 176 exhibits. A consultative conference of invited experts was also held at the hearings' conclusion. The commission completed its work in December 1989.