Letter from Mason, Foulds, Davidson & Kellock, to Mrs. Libero Sauro, December 3, 1940

Letter from Mason, Foulds, Davidson & Kellock (Barristers, Solicitors, Notaries), to Mrs. Libero Sauro, December 3, 1940.

Rev. Libero Sauro was arrested on September 7, 1940 and held at Don Jail before being transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp.

From his arrest, Clementina was relentless in her mission to have her husband released. She wrote many letters on his behalf, including letters to M.J. Coldwell and J.S. Woodsworth, her husband's colleagues at the United Church, and others.

Under the DOCR (Defence of Canada Regulations), after 30 days, internees could formally object to their detention to an advisory committee appointed by the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice then appointed a judge to review the internee’s case. This meant an examination of the RCMP’s evidence against the internee, meetings with the internee, and interviews with witnesses who could attest to the internee’s character. After this, the judge either recommended an internee’s release or continued internment to the Minister of Justice.

To assist in this process, some educated and established internees were able to hire lawyers to represent them during their hearings with an appointed judge. Legal counsel was not available to the majority of internees. Many families hired lawyers at great cost. The Tiezzi family received a $2000 bill -- an even more significant amount in the 1940s.

This letter refers to affidavits, including one by Clementina, some of which are available in the collection (see ICEA2010.0008.0012.a-c, ICEA2010.0008.0018.a-b, ICEA2010.0008.0020, ICEA2010.0008.0019, ICEA2010.0008.0017, ICEA2010.0008.0016, and ICEA2010.0008.0015).

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials donated by the Sauro family.