SASKATOON – Travis Patron, the far-right leader of a now defunct political party, was handed 200 days in jail Friday for the racially motivated harassment of an off-duty RCMP officer and his girlfriend in Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon in July 2023.
The officer – who had investigated and testified against Patron at his hate trial in Estevan in September 2022 – told the court that he had feared for his, and that of his girlfriend’s safety, when Patron confronted them at Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon.
The Aug. 9, 2023, police information charge sheet obtained from the provincial court by SASKTODAY, states that on July 20, 2023, Patron did without lawful authority and knowing that [the RCMP officer] was harassed, or being reckless as to whether [the RCMP officer] was harassed, engaged in threatening conduct, yelling and chasing the victim while personating a peace officer directed at [the RCMP officer] that caused [the RCMP officer] reasonably to fear for his safety and the safety of his girlfriend.
The police information sheet also states that on July 30, 2023, Patron, while being bound by a probation order from Oct. 20, 2022, failed to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench heard that Patron had followed the officer – who was off duty – and his girlfriend, in Midtown Plaza. Video evidence played in court showed Patron standing behind the couple going up the escalator and again going down the escalator.
Another video showed Patron following them inside the mall without their knowledge. Patron confronted the officer at the mall saying, “Why are you with a Canadian woman?”
The officer was born in Iraq and came to Canada at age four, court heard.
During his trial in January, Patron took the stand and said, “I am the leader of the Canadian National Party,” adding that Elections Canada made a mistake de-registering the party.
According to court documents, as well as Court of King’s Bench staff, there was no ban on publication of the RCMP officer’s name or his girlfriend’s name. In August 2023, a provincial court judge had ordered a ban on publishing the names of Patron's victims in two other incidents that had occurred in July and August 2023. It isn't clear why there was no ban in place against naming the RCMP officer and his girlfriend. The day, however, that the provincial court judge had ordered the ban on Patron's alleged victims at the University of Saskatchewan, the new charges against Patron in the incident with the RCMP officer were introduced.
During Patron’s sentencing hearing Friday, Crown Prosecutor Lana Morelli asked that the names of the RCMP officer and his girlfriend not be put on Patron’s probation order. Instead of the order saying he was to stay away from his victims, she asked that it say he is to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
A victim impact statement by the RCMP officer was read to the court by the Crown.
The RCMP officer said the incident has “taken away my sense of safety and security.” He also said that he is now fearful “someone may try to harm me because of the colour of my skin.”
The officer said that Canada has been his and his family’s home for 28 years and becoming an RCMP officer in 2018 was the proudest moment of his life.
He said Patron’s comments hurt him.
“I won’t forget it but I do forgive Travis Patron. Hatred and fear will have no place in my heart.”
When Patron’s criminal record was introduced to the court and he was asked (since he was self-represented) if this was his criminal record, he said “I’m remaining silent.”
When it was his turn to speak on his own behalf during his sentencing hearing, however, he spoke at length on issues not relevant to his sentencing. Instead, he used most of the time as a platform to spew his manifesto of hate.
Patron was convicted in Estevan in October 2022 with wilfully promoting hatred to an identifiable group, stemming from a video, Beware the Parasitic Tribe, that was posted to YouTube in June 2019. The charge was laid by the Carlyle RCMP in February 2021.
Earlier in 2022, he was also convicted on two counts of assault causing bodily harm against two women, and was sentenced to concurrent 18-month sentences. The assaults against the two women occurred in the fall of 2019.
And in 2019, he was found guilty of mischief, stemming from an incident at the Redvers branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and two counts of breach of an undertaking.
Patron ran in the Souris-Moose Mountain constituency in the 2019 federal election, finishing sixth. The Canadian Nationalist Party has since been de-registered.
Justice John P. Morrall said incarceration was appropriate and noted Patron’s previous conviction of a hate crime against Jewish people.
The court considered ordering Patron to take cultural sensitivity training, personal counselling, and mental health counselling but decided against it because Patron doesn’t want to change his viewpoints.
Justice Morrall ordered that Patron provide his DNA to the National DNA Data Bank.
Patron will continue to be on remand while he waits for his trials on other charges.
-With files from David Willberg
