Convicted B.C. drug dealer who cites language barrier in appeal is questioned on fluency

We will have to wait until the British Columbia appeals court rules to know for sure, but Jean Gingras might be barking up the wrong tree.

The convicted B.C. drug dealer is appealing his sentence on the grounds that he was confused through much of his trial because it was conducted in English.

The Vancouver Sun reports the francophone complained he was confused and misunderstood much of what happened during last year's trial because of his imperfect English, even as he was forced to listen to recordings of conversations in which he seemed to speak fluent English to an undercover police officer.

The decision to grant the appeal notes that during the trial, Gingras told the court he understood “like 75 percent of what you’re talking about, but sometime you got some expression that I don’t ... I don’t know what is says.” It also notes that Gingras declined the use of an interpreter on several occasions.

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The Sun's Kim Bolan also writes that Gingras was called to testify on his fluency, and asked about a wiretap in which he finalized a deal to sell cocaine to an undercover police officer in English, before relaying the information to an associate in a French telephone conversation.

Several times during the exchange with prosecutor Paul Riley he responded to questions in English, or before they had been translated into French.

“I notice you are answering the questions without the interpreter interpreting. Maybe you should wait. It is better so that you don’t get confused,” Riley is quoted saying.

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Gingras was sentenced to 10 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and money laundering. His lawyer appealing for a new trial or to have the charged stayed, arguing Gingras was entrapped by police.

The hearing is expected to end Wednesday, at which point the Court of Appeal will reserve its decision. So we will have to wait to see whether the court finds merit in Gingras’ argument.

Either way, it is unlikely Quebec’s Parti Quebecois will be hiring Gingras to be a Western liaison.

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