The Canadian Correctional Service notified the Office of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino in early March of the possible transfer of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security federal prison in Laurentians, Quebec.

And the minister’s office was informed again in late May after a date was set for the move, according to email exchanges The Canadian Press according to the law on access to information.

The Minister of Public Security and his staff have been under intense scrutiny over the past month as more details emerged about when the killer was transferred to prison. Questions were also raised as to who knew what and when.

The opposition Conservative Party (CCP) is calling for Mr Mendicino’s resignation.

Paul Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy near St. Catharines, Ontario in the early 1990s. He was also convicted of manslaughter in connection with the December 1990 death of 15-year-old Tammy Homolka, the younger sister of his then-wife Karla Homolka.

Paul Bernardo also admitted to sexually abusing 14 other women.

Karla Homolka pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was released in 2005 after serving a 12-year sentence for her involvement in the crimes against the two teenage girls.

On June 2, reports surfaced that three days earlier Paul Bernardo had been quietly transferred to the medium-security facility at La Macaza. He was initially held at Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario and then spent about a decade at the Millhaven Institution, a maximum security prison just outside of Kingston.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was informed of the move on May 29, the day it took place, while Minister Mendicino said he found out the next day.

Confirmation

The minister then released a statement on Twitter, calling the corrections service’s “independent decision” “shocking and incomprehensible.” He also said he plans to raise “the process of making the transfer decision” and expects the correctional service to take “a victim-centred and trauma-informed approach” in such cases.

Anne Kelly, the Correctional Service of Canada officer, had contacted Mr Mendicino directly to let him know that she had seen his post on Twitter expressing his concerns about the move and offering to set up a meeting.

One of the emails sent to The Canadian Press shows that m^Me Kelly himself contacted Shawn Tupper and Tricia Geddes, Assistant Secretary of Public Safety and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public Safety, respectively, three days before the scheduled transfer date.

“I said I would confirm the transmission with you. This will take place next week,” wrote M^Me Kelly on May 26 in an email titled “Notorious Delinquent.”

She told them the Federal Ministry of Public Safety, Mr Mendicino’s office, the Privy Council Office and the Prime Minister’s Office have been “informed” and that “we have media lines ready”.

Mr Tupper replied a few minutes later Mr^Me Kelly thanks her for the confirmation.

meeting desired

A spokeswoman for Mr. Mendicino’s office confirmed that she was first asked by a staff member in Mr. Trudeau’s office about the possible transfer of Mr. Bernardo, who had learned of the matter from the Privy Council’s office.

The documents indicate that M.^Me Kelly wrote directly to Mr Mendicino on Sunday afternoon, June 4, two days after the minister’s first public statement on the matter.

“Hello Minister, I saw your tweet,” wrote M^Me Kelly. I remain at your disposal for a meeting. »

Mr Mendicino replied within 10 minutes: “Yes, we will coordinate a call. »

The following day, Mr. Mendicino told reporters that he had spoken with Mr^Me Kelly, telling him he was “deeply concerned and … shocked by this decision.” The Correctional Service subsequently said that the decision to reclassify and transfer Paul Bernardo, which was based on a number of legally established criteria, is currently under review.

The newly released documents then show that on June 6 Ms Kelly replied to Mr Tupper and Ms Geddes to verify that Mr Mendicino’s office had been informed of Mr Bernardo’s transfer as the secretary of the Privy Council asked her the question. Same question.

“I have heard from my staff that someone in the (Public Security Department) said that (the Minister) was not informed,” she wrote in an email.

Mr Mendicino admitted his staff made a mistake in not informing him, but denied it was done on purpose to keep him in the dark.

The minister did not reveal why he was not informed, but announced his intention to issue an order stating that he should be informed directly of these transfers.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Marco Mendicino should enact a similar policy to ensure those convicted of multiple murders like Paul Bernardo serve their full sentences in a maximum security prison.

The Liberal government says it must be careful not to compromise the independence of corrections, a position shared by criminal justice experts and lawyers.

The Correctional Service of Canada has not yet released an update on its review of Paul Bernardo’s transfer.

Tim Danson, an attorney representing the French and Mahaffy families, said he wanted to overturn the transfer decision, adding that it came around the anniversary of Leslie Mahaffy’s abduction and death.

The Canadian Press contacted Corrections, the Privy Council Office and Mr. Mendicino’s office for comment on the recently released documents, but have yet to receive a response.

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