Ottawa, ON — Tony Baldinelli, Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls and sponsor of a Private Members Bill that would ensure all serial killers remain in maximum security prison (Bill C-342), issued the following statement on Liberals ignoring calls from local communities to send Bernardo back to maximum security:

“Following the decision to transfer notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo out of maximum security, local communities that were most affected by his heinous crimes are speaking out and calling for action. The cities of Thorold and St. Catharines have both written to the government expressing their grave concerns about Bernardo’s transfer and are demanding that he be sent back to maximum security prison where he belongs.

“These demands have been sent to the Prime Minister, his new Minister of Public Safety and local Liberal MPs Chris Bittle and Vance Badawey, but they have fallen on deaf ears as the government continues to refuse to exercise its power to require that mass murderers serve their full sentences in maximum security prisons. Instead of taking action to fix the problem his government created, Liberal MP Chris Bittle blamed those proposing solutions and those expressing concern and hurt, as ‘playing politics’. Once again, this Liberal government is dividing and blaming instead of taking responsibility and fixing the problems they created. 

“The Liberal Government made Bernardo’s transfer possible by passing Bill C-83 which requires that prisoners serve their sentences in the “least restrictive environment”, reversing a policy set by the last Conservative government that imposed a tougher standard on dangerous offenders. This was cited by Correctional Services Canada (CSC) in their attempt to justify the transfer.

“Now, more than two months after Bernardo’s transfer they continue to fail the families of the victims and the communities that were forever scarred by Bernardo’s crimes. There is a new Public Safety Minister but just like the last one, he refuses to use his legal authority to direct CSC to ensure that every mass murderer serves their time in maximum security.

“Common sense Conservatives will not allow this injustice to quietly continue. That’s why I introduced Bill C-342 which would require that multiple murderers and dangerous offenders like Bernardo serve out their entire sentences behind the walls of a maximum security prison. We will bring home justice and safety to our communities.”