Canada's top court to hear appeal of Indigenous Nova Scotia man's assault sentence

The Supreme Court of Canada is pictured in Ottawa on Friday, March 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal of a sentence given to an Indigenous man from Nova Scotia who brutally attacked his Indigenous common law partner.

Harry Arthur Cope was sentenced in 2023 in provincial court to five years in prison for aggravated assault and eight months for breaching release orders.

Cope had initially sought a conditional sentence and probation, and his sentencing circle — a form of restorative justice for Indigenous people — had recommended he serve no more time in custody and instead be supervised in the community.

Cope had pleaded guilty to the assault, and he had a lengthy criminal record and a history of serious mental illness.

Last year, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal shortened Cope’s sentence to three years for aggravated assault, minus time served on remand.

The court said the sentencing judge underemphasized Cope’s mental illness and drug abuse and their connection to his vulnerability as an Indigenous person.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.