Justice minister orders new trial for Quebec man who spent 3 decades in prison

Daniel Jolivet granted bail last year after fairness of original trial called into question

Canada's justice minister has ordered a new trial for a Quebec man convicted of four murders, who was released from prison after concerns were raised about the fairness of his initial trial.

Daniel Jolivet spent 33 years behind bars before he was granted bail, pending the outcome of a federal review into a possible miscarriage of justice.

On Friday, Sean Fraser ordered a new trial. In a statement, the justice minister stressed his decision is not about the guilt or innocence of the applicant.

"My decision does not decide guilt or innocence, as that will rest with the courts," he said. "Our responsibility is to make sure Canadians can trust their justice system, and that means, in rare cases, returning cases to the courts for new information to be considered."

Jolivet has steadfastly proclaimed his innocence. He was released from prison on bail in December 2025, pending the outcome of a federal review into a possible miscarriage of justice.

At the time, Jolivet said he hoped for a swift review and decision from the federal government.

Seeking bail became possible in October 2025, when the federal government announced there were reasonable grounds to believe a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

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Quebec man convicted in 4 murders 30 years ago may have had unfair trial, Crown says

Jolivet was convicted in 1994 of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two men and two women.

The deaths occured two years earlier, in Brossard, Que., a suburb of Montreal.

Jolivet initially succeeded in having the verdict overturned on appeal, but the Supreme Court of Canada reinstated the convictions in 2000.

He made multiple attempts to have the case reviewed by the federal justice minister, but was denied until 2025.

Quebec man released after 3 decades in prison for 4 murders he still denies committing

Benjamin Shingler is a CBC reporter based in Montreal covering social issues and Quebec politics. He previously worked at The Canadian Press and the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and is an alumnus of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network. He can be reached at benjamin.shingler@cbc.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press