Minister says he was 'shocked' by serial killer Paul Bernardo's prison transfer but he can't reverse it

FederalPublic Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says he was"shocked" by the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) decision to transfer serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison but heinsistshis office cannot overrule it.

Mendicino told reporters Monday that he spoke to CSC commissioner Anne Kelly that morning. She promisedto review the decision and report back to him in short order, Mendicino said.

"I told her that as a former federal prosecutorand as a Canadian, that Iwas profoundly concerned and again shocked by this decision," he said."She assured me that she understood.She also assured me that she was going to be reviewing the matter."

Mendicinosaid his hands are tied becauseCorrectional Service of Canada decisions ontransfers are independent of his office.

"This office cannot exercise any review powers over that decision," he said.

WATCH |Public safety minister reacts to Paul Bernardo's transfer:

Paul Bernardo's prison transfer a Corrections Canada decision, minister says

1 year ago

Duration 2:52

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says he spoke to Corrections Canada's commissioner about the recent transfer of Paul Bernardo, an Ontario serial rapist and murderer, to a medium security prison.

In a statement, CSCconfirmed that the commissioner has "ordered an additional review of this offender's security classification to ensure it was appropriate, evidence-based and more importantly, adequately considered victims."

News reports emerged last week that Bernardohad been transferred from the maximum-security MillhavenInstitution in Kingston, Ont., to a medium-security prison in La Macaza, Que., about 200 kilometresnorthwest of Montreal.

A lawyer acting forthe families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy two teens who were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, murdered and dismembered by Bernardo and his then wife, Karla Homolka, in the early 1990s told CBC that the news was "devastating" for them.

CSCdid not explainprecisely why the decision was made. Its statement spoke only generally of the factors involved inmoving prisoners between security levels, such as the risk to public safetyand risk of escape. It stressed that Bernardo, a dangerous offender serving an indeterminate sentence,is still under tight control.

"Dangerous offenders are closely monitored. It is important to know that medium security facilities have the same perimeter controls as maximum security institutions," the statement said.

Bernardo was convicted of first-degree murder in 1995 for the killings ofMahaffyand French. He was also convicted of manslaughter for his role in the death of 15-year-old Tammy Homolka.

Mendicinocalled himone of the most heinous criminalsin Canadian history. While he said Canadians are owed an explanation for the transfer, he did not provide one, addingthere are privacy concerns at play.

"The courts assured Canadians that he would serve out his days in a maximum security institution under the most strenuous conditions, given how horrific the crimes were that he perpetrated on women and young girls," the minister said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievrecondemned what he called the "terrible decision" to transfer Bernardo and called on the government to "review any powers it has to reverse this ridiculous decision."

"Mr. Bernardo is a monster and should remain in a maximum security prison," Poilievre said.

Poilievre's staff pointed to provisions in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act toargue that Mendicino could act if he wanted to. Specifically, the law states the CSC commissioner works under his "direction."

The law also allows the government to pass regulations relating to the placement and transfer of prisoners.