Why Poilievre wants Mendicino to resign over latest Bernardo transfer reports | 24CA News
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is looking for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s resignation amid reviews his workplace knew for months that Paul Bernardo was being transferred to a medium-security jail.
24CA News was first to report Wednesday that Mendicino’s workplace knew since March the infamous rapist and serial killer was being transferred, but didn’t inform the minister till the switch occurred. News of the switch made headlines on June 2.
The report cited the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) as saying it first alerted Mendicino’s workplace on March 2 to tell officers that Bernardo could be transferred from Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security penitentiary close to Kingston, Ont.
CSC stated it despatched a second e mail on May 25 to Mendicino’s workplace saying Bernardo could be transferred 4 days later, 24CA News reported. The minister’s workplace informed the outlet it didn’t inform Mendicino about Bernardo’s switch till May 30 – the day after the switch occurred.
Global News has reached out to the CSC and the minister’s workplace for remark.
Poilievre claimed Wednesday that Mendicino has “lied” to Canadians too many instances.
“These are too many lies,” he stated. “It’s one lie too many. It is time for Marco Mendicino to resign.”
Mendicino informed reporters on Tuesday afternoon: “I personally found out the week that the decision was rendered.”
“It’s important as well to underscore that these decisions are not typically public because of security concerns, because of privacy concerns that are well established in the law,” he stated.
“But once the decision to transfer Paul Bernardo did become public, I obviously took the opportunity to express very clearly to the (CSC) commissioner the concerns of Canadians, in regards to the transfer, of that decision.”
Bernardo, 58, has been serving a life sentence for the kidnappings, tortures and murders of youngsters Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy within the early Nineteen Nineties. He and his then-wife Karla Homolka additionally killed her youthful sister, Tammy Homolka.
News of the switch brought about an uproar.
Tim Danson, a lawyer for the victims’ households, stated it was unacceptable that the jail service refused to reply questions concerning the cause for Bernardo’s transfer or particulars of his custody circumstances, citing his privateness rights.
Mendicino stated on June 5 the CSC would overview the switch. That overview ought to be accomplished “within a few weeks,” the CSC informed Global News on Tuesday.
A authorities official beforehand informed Global News the CSC offered Mendicino with a heads-up of the switch, however the resolution was impartial and since transfers usually are not sometimes public info, they weren’t able to remark earlier than June 2.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
