Poilievre says Mendicino 'lying,' should resign or be fired over handling of Bernardo intel
CTV
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino's office was informed by Canada's corrections agency about plans to transfer notorious serial rapist and convicted killer Paul Bernardo, months before it happened, CTV News has confirmed. Now, the minister is facing a call from the Official Opposition to resign.
According to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) it did inform the minister's office by email, first on March 2 and then again on May 25, about the decision to move Bernardo from a maximum security prison in Ontario, to a medium-security prison in Quebec. Now, the minister is facing a call from the Official Opposition to resign.
"The Correctional Service of Canada has a process in place to provide advanced notice to the Minister’s office on high-profile offenders," said CSC senior communications adviser Kevin Antonucci in a statement.
While noting that decisions around specific cases and operations such as offender transfers and victim notifications fall under CSC's purview, not the minister nor their office, Antonucci said that the first email sent notified Mendicino's office of the transfer, as well as "communications messaging" but the final date of Bernardo's move had yet to be determined.
Then, the May 25 message "provided updated communications messaging, as well the fact that the transfer would occur on the Monday, May 29."
When it was made public in early June, Mendicino said he was "profoundly concerned and shocked" by the "incomprehensible" transfer, indicating he also did not have an explanation for the decision to relocate Bernardo.
When asked on Parliament Hill on Tuesday why he wasn't told about the transfer until after it happened, Mendicino said there is "back and forth" between CSC and his department when it comes to prison transfers.
"In this particular case of Paul Bernardo, there was back and forth in the lead-up to the decision. I personally found out the week that the decision was rendered," Mendicino said.
