The Death Of Cindy Gladue, And The Criminal Defence Tactic That Should Alarm Every Woman in Canada
Canadian experts have noted a rise in attempts to argue that a woman's severe injuries or death resulted from consensual sexual activity.
Danielle Paradis
Updated
February 26, 2021
Protesters outside Edmonton’s city hall in 2015, in support of Cindy Gladue. (Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Topher Seguin)
This column contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence.
In mid-February, almost 10 years after Cindy Gladue died, Bradley Barton was found guilty of manslaughter. The verdict was the culmination of a half-decade legal battle for Gladue’s mother Donna McLeod, during which she had to endure repeated and graphic descriptions of the sexual violence Gladue endured in her last hours, and her daughter’s total dehumanization by Barton and his lawyer. Lisa Weber, a Metis lawyer with close ties to the family, says they feel a mix of exhaustion and energy after the verdict. And just as their mourning isn’t over, neither are the ways that Gladue’s death and Barton’s trial will echo throughout the Canadian legal system.