MILTON, Ont. - An American woman is prohibited from entering Canada for two days for planting a pie in the case of the federal fisheries minister to resist the seal hunt.
A justice in Milton, Ont. today convicted Emily McCoy of attack for shoving a tofu cream pie in Gail Shea's face at an issue in Burlington, Ont. in January 2010.
Lawyer James Silver says the judge set the New York City woman on probation for two days with some strict conditions.
Silver says McCoy is prohibited from reverting to Canada or having any touch with Shea or the fisheries ministry during her probation.
Silver says the weather also prohibit McCoy from contact with any Canadian institutions such as embassies or consulates.
McCoy told the court prior to sentencing that she hadn't properly considered the consequences of her actions.
"I never considered the extent of the consequences of my actions in protesting the red seal slaughter," McCoy said in her statement.
"I assaulted an elected government official," she said.
The Crown agreed to the probationary sentence, but Silver said prosecutors made it open they would have sought jail time except for extenuating circumstances in McCoy's case.
"When she was motivated to go in and try and get aid to this reason that she believes in so deeply, her motivations were well intentioned," Silver said.
"The way of implementing those motivations were not entirely inappropriate, but illegal," he said.
The courtyard also considered that McCoy doesn't fit the usual criminal demographics, Silver said.
What brought her before the courtyard was a "mistaken effort" to get aid to the seal hunt, he said.
"She recognizes now that this is complete the line," Silver added.
Silver said while the time may seem to be a smack in the wrist, it does have far-reaching implications for his client.
Apart from the criminal record, he said it also bars McCoy from continuing her protest of the seal hunt, even in a passive way because of the ban on communication with Canadian officials.
Shea called the pie attack a grievous affair and "distasteful activity."
"Our administration will not back down in defending the legitimate economic activities of Canadians," Shea said.
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