Corrections chief never mentioned Bernardo transfer over months of conversations: Mendicino

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says the Correctional Service of Canada's commissioner Anne Kelly never mentioned in advance that serial killer Paul Bernardo could be transferred from a maximum to medium-security prison, even though they spoke frequently over the months leading up to the move.

The comment comes after CBC News asked the government how often Mendicino and his office spoke to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) prior to Bernardo's controversial transfer.

Mendicino said Wednesday he meets with Kelly on "as-needed basis" which works out to "probably once every week, once every two weeks." He said Kelly never mentioned Bernardo's upcoming transfer during those meetings before the transfer was completed on May 29.

"We do have frequent briefings," Mendicino said. "But what's clear is that I was not personally briefed about the Paul Bernardo affair until May 30."

CSC confirms the decision to reclassify Bernardo and recommend his transfer to medium security was made on Feb. 13, while the decision to transfer him was made on March 27.

Mendicino's office told CBC News that its staff held roughly two calls a month with CSC staff between March and May and it was not told about the controversial prison transfer.

Bernardo's transfer "was not brought up during those biweekly meetings," the minister's office has said.

CSC has said it has an "established process for advance notifications about high-profile offenders" and it followed its "existing processes" to notify the minister's office. CSC said it alerted Mendicino's office by email on March 2 and again on May 25 about Bernardo's transfer.

"This is consistent with other operational departments, where operational matters are case-specific," CSC said in a media statement issued to CBC News on June 15.

Since last week, Mendicino has faced repeated calls from the Conservatives to resign over his handling of Bernardo's transfer. CBC News first reported that when Mendicino called the decision to transfer Bernardo "shocking and incomprehensible," his office actually had known about the potential transfer for months.

Mendicino said his office should have briefed him earlier and that he's taken corrective action internally. He hasn't said if he will dismiss any staff.

Lawyer Tim Danson represents the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, who were raped and murdered by Bernardo. He said if it's true that Kelly failed to mention Bernardo's transfer, there needs to be an explanation and questions raised about whether people should be keeping their jobs.

"In the legal world, sometimes an omission is more deadly than an admission," Danson told CBC News. "This means the minister was effectively misled. And absent of an amazing explanation, there's got to be consequences."

Danson also said Mendicino had "every right to expect that such a critical and serious matter" of "enormous public interest" would be disclosed to him by the commissioner.