Interviewer: Why did you produce this documentary?

Candis McLean: I am very concerned about the justice system in Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan. Justice is only justice if it is blind to politics, to pressure, to race, and to any motive other than seeking the truth.

It appears that some decisions are being based not on the truth as established through the dictates of the evidence, but upon the colour of one's skin and political correctness -- pressure from certain vocal groups who claim that they are disadvantaged and that one therefore becomes morally superior by supporting their particular groups. If this type of propaganda is allowed to overwhelm centuries of tried and true legal tradition, then any one of us could be the next innocent victim.

I: What is the documentary about?

CM: The documentary deals with the Darrell Night case. I want to dispel the myth that has been broadcast around the world -- that Saskatoon police officers have been dropping Aboriginal people off where they don't want to be dropped. Saskatoon police have not caused the freezing deaths of any Aboriginal people.

What I believe to be a fabricated story against former Constables Ken Munson and Dan Hatchen  has done terrible damage to Aboriginal relations in the province, not to mention the damage it has done to the lives of innocent police. It has caused pain and it has caused hatred. Native people have even told me that it has caused a rift generally between the two races, and they tell me that in the process, Saskatoon has lost some of the best police officers the city has ever had.

I: Have you discovered any new information?

CM: Yes, I found some new material evidence in the case. Previously this case had been entirely Night's word against the officers' words - what went on in the police vehicle that early morning in January 2000, only those three know for sure. Night testified that the police did not talk to him at all, that after he pounded on their cruiser and swore at them, they simply arrested him, put him in the vehicle, and dropped him off at the power plant.

The police testified that Night pleaded not to be taken to jail, but instead to drop him off at home. They testified they talked to him almost the entire way, that his requests were considered and, in the end, they believed that he would not cause further trouble and that he had not the slimmest chance of endangerment due to the weather. The police say they were wrong to do what Night asked -- they should have taken him to jail and not given him a break, but they did nothing that was against Darrell Night's wishes.

Therefore, in my investigation I wanted to find any material evidence that would support either side of the story. The evidence I found provides independent, unbiased corroboration supporting Munson's testimony as to the heart of the matter: why Darrell Night was dropped off where he was. It backs the officer's testimony as to the route driven, and casts Night's testimony into question, it supports the officer's testimony that they talked to Night, and it supports their testimony that they dropped him off in relation to his home, not in the middle of nowhere.

I: Did the RCMP not find this crucial evidence in their months of investigation?

CM: Somehow the RCMP did not find this information, so it was not presented at the trial. The case remained the word of Darrell Night, a convicted felon with 22 prior convictions against him including assault causing bodily harm, possession of property obtained by crime over $1,000, and lying to police, vs. the word of two exemplary officers with no race-based complaints against them in 18 years of service each. The judge believed the convicted felon and instructed the jury accordingly.

Darrell Night was not harmed. The police lost their jobs, their pensions, their reputations, their freedom, and in jail, Ken Munson may have almost lost his life. How is this possible? Would the same thing have happened if Darrell Night had been white and the officers Aboriginal?

I: What conclusion do you draw from all of this?

CM: I believe that if the justice system had been working, Dan Hatchen and Ken Munson would never have been charged, never gone to court, never been sent to jail. As many people in the documentary point out, Lady Justice should be blind to politics, to race, and any motive other than to seek the truth. And, these people, many of them Aboriginal say, processes should be set in place to ensure that justice is rendered colour-blind.

I: What do you hope to come out of this?

CM: I believe the first trial of Munson and Hatchen was a rush to judgment. I would like to see the whole thing re-examined now that cooler heads prevail. I would like to see the truth come out. And I would like to see those who have suppressed the truth be penalized and removed from a position where they could EVER do so much damage to an entire city again. Friends of the former officers are now fund-raising to send the case to the Supreme Court. I sincerely hope they get there.

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