Friends of one of Bernardo's victims call on Ottawa to do more to uphold victims' rights
CBC
Canada's prison investigator, the federal victims' ombudsperson and friends of one of Paul Bernardo's victims are all calling on the federal government to do more to ensure crime victims have the same rights as offenders in the wake of the serial killer and rapist's controversial prison transfer.
Three childhood friends of Kristen French, who was murdered by Bernardo, told the House of Commons standing committee on public safety and security Wednesday night that the corrections system put Bernardo's rights ahead of their own.
Victims and their families were only notified of Bernardo's transfer in May from a maximum- to medium-security prison on the morning it happened.
Tennille Chwalczuk, a friend of French, said Bernardo's transfer filled her with "absolute fear and anguish, and tears and rage."
"We thought, if he stayed in maximum, we might have some sort of peace inside knowing he was where he belongs forever," she said. "And knowing in that moment that it was over ... it was just absolute anguish."
Bernardo is serving a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing French and Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s. He was also found guilty of the manslaughter and sexual assault of his 15-year-old sister-in-law, Tammy Homolka.
Bernardo's former wife Karla Homolka served 12 years in prison for her role in his crimes. Bernardo, who is designated as a dangerous offender, has also admitted to sexually assaulting 14 other women.
French's friends say they were forced to relive the trauma of losing her because of Corrections Canada's handling of the transfer.
"One thing was blatantly missing, and that was the careful and real consideration of the impact this transfer would have on these people who have been directly affected by Bernardo's crimes," Laura Murray, one of French's childhood friends, told the committee, which is investigating the transfer.
"We are here to demand the rights of his many victims are considered and respected, now and moving forward."
A review committee appointed by Corrections Canada concluded that while the applicable laws were followed, more could have been done to notify the victims in advance.
Commissioner of Corrections Canada Anne Kelly told the committee on Monday her office seeks a balance between the rights of offenders and victims. She disagrees Bernardo's rights were put first.
But two federal ombudsmen say offenders' rights are upheld more than those of victims.
Ivan Zinger, the federal correctional investigator, pointed out to the committee that his office has a $7.5 million annual budget, while the budget for the office of the ombudsperson for victims of crime, Benjamin Roebuck, is just under $1.5 million.
When the federal government tabled its 2025 budget last month, it included a proposal that tax fraud experts say is long overdue — if also a belated acknowledgement that the Canada Revenue Agency has been repeatedly duped into paying out untold millions in bogus tax refunds to scammers.
Talking with an AI chatbot can successfully convince people to change their votes and could affect the outcome of future elections, according to a new study.
While some are writing wishlists for Santa Claus, a group of Newfoundland and Labrador youth are writing their wishlist for the provincial government.
A horse owner near Stewiacke, N.S., says the current shortage of hay in the province is putting pressure on her financially.
Victoria Volkanova was remembering Jewish resilience and courage by celebrating Hanukkah on Sunday.
Winnipeggers are still digging out from this past week’s winter wallop, but the wait for roadside assistance is almost over, according to the provincial motoring association.
When long-time journalist Cornelia Naylor picked up the first copy of her newly printed community newspaper this week, it wasn’t something she had ever expected to do.
The province's police watchdog is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman in Toronto Sunday.
Toronto police say a collision involving several vehicles in the city's east-end left one driver in life-threatening condition Sunday.
A church service in Stratford, P.E.I., brought together Christmas traditions from across the globe on Sunday.
On an extremely cold day, many people would prefer to stay home, cozy up under a blanket, and put on the TV, radio, or a favourite podcast.
In an era of Ring doorbells and No Soliciting signs, breaking the evening silence of a suburban London street can sometimes feel like a radical act.
For years, oil tanker traffic has been prohibited off the waters of northern British Columbia in order to protect environmentally sensitive coastlines from disaster.