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Civics thread: There are calls for an inquest or inquiry into nursing home deaths. Some people are using them interchangably, yet they are two different things. 1/?
2/? In Manitoba, inquests are called by the chief medical examiner, independent of government. They are narrow in scope, related normally to a specific event such as one person's death in police custody or at a jail.
3/? Because inquests are narrow in scope, they are fairly quick to complete once called. There are usually 4-6 per year. A good aspect of Manitoba's system - unlike many other provinces - is that inquests are mandatory in many cases
4/? Here are events that trigger mandatory inquests under law:
5/? The chief medical examiner also has the option of calling inquests into other deaths. And again, inquests are relatively quick, narrow in focus and not systemic. Example: the remand centre death of Errol Greene: http://www.manitobacourts.mb.ca/site/assets/files/1051/inquest_report_-_inquest_into_the_death_of_bradley_errol_greene.pdf
6/? By contrast, public inquiries a) are called by the government, b) are wide in scope, often looking at systemic issues and c) are very expensive and take a long time. There have only been a few in Manitoba this century.
7/? The most recent example was the $14-million inquiry into the death of Phoenix Sinclair, completed several years after her death (delayed in part by waiting for all legal proceedings to finish). 900-page report, countless witnesses and documents
8/? One common aspect of both inquest and inquiries is that they are not criminal proceedings. Contrary to some people's opinions, they don't end with a judge sending someone to jail. They are aimed at making recommendations for improvements.
9/? The federal government can call inquiries into national issues, but again, that is quite rare. Here's one into the Air India bombing: https://secretlaw.omeka.net/items/show/72
10/10 - fin -
