MPs to study controversial prison transfer of killer Luka Magnotta

A parliamentary commit‐ tee voted Monday to look into why convicted first-de‐ gree murderer Luka Mag‐ notta was quietly transfer‐ red from a maximum to a medium-security prison.

During an emergency de‐ bate, the standing committee on public safety and national security passed an amended motion to hold one meeting on Magnotta's transfer.

The committee is now calling for four witnesses to appear before it, including the warden of La Macaza In‐ stitution in Quebec, where Magnotta was moved in 2022.

MPs also are calling for testimony from Commis‐ sioner of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Anne Kelly, rep‐ resentatives of the Union of Canadian Correctional Offi‐ cers and representatives of the medical team involved in Magnotta's transfer.

A jury found Magnotta guilty of first-degree murder in 2014 for the killing and dis‐ memberment of internation‐ al student Jun Lin in 2012.

Lin's body parts were found in a suitcase outside Magnotta's apartment, in packages sent to the head‐ quarters of political parties and two Vancouver schools, and in a Montreal park.

After an international manhunt, Magnotta was ar‐ rested in Berlin in 2012 at an Internet cafe.

Victims notified of transfer, CSC says

Magnotta's prison transfer was made public recently af‐ ter Conservative MP Frank Caputo toured the mediumsecurity La Macaza Institu‐ tion last month. Serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo was transferred to La Macaza in May 2023, setting off a politi‐ cal firestorm.

Caputo said that when he was touring the prison, a man walked past him who was later identified by a staff member as Luka Magnotta.

"To see him in mediumsecurity seemingly so soon after his offence was com‐ mitted … really did shock me," Caputo told CBC News.

CSC later confirmed that Magnotta was transferred to La Macaza two years ago. CSC said it sent registered victims notifications of Mag‐ notta's transfer but noted that the agency does not "typically comment or publi‐ cly announce" such transfers publicly.

"To provide further con‐ text, we have a number of in‐ mates with affiliations to se‐ curity threat groups (gangs), and who are incompatible with other inmates, which could make it a safety and se‐ curity risk to disclose their specific location and place‐ ment," CSC said in a media statement.

MPs trade accusations of political theatrics

In heated exchanges during Monday's committee hear‐ ing, the Liberals and Conserv‐ ative accused each other of engaging in political the‐ atrics.

Liberal MP Peter Schiefke said that if any of his family members, or members of other MPs' families, suffered what Bernardo's victims ex‐ perienced, he'd "want that person to never see the light of day."

While Schiefke said he supported the Conservatives' motion and an amendment later put forward by the Bloc Québécois, he accused the Official Opposition of grand‐ standing.

"I would gladly take a chainsaw to their proverbial soapbox and point out, firstly, that transfers from maximum to medium secu‐ rity prisons in this country peaked under Conservative [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper," he said.

WATCH | 'Political the‐ atre' accusations fly as MPs discuss prison transfers:

Caputo said Bernardo was not in medium security when Harper was in office.

Schiefke pointed to statis‐ tics from CSC showing that the highest number of prison transfers from maximum to medium-security institutions over the past decade occur‐ red between 2012 and 2014. There were 291 of those transfers in 2012-2013 and 319 in 2013-2014.

The average number of transfers from maximum to medium-security institutions was 222 between 2012 and 2023, according to the CSC data viewed by CBC News. There were 253 of these prison transfers under the current government in 20222023, 223 such transfers in 2021-2022 and 197 in 20202021, CSC's data says.

Conservative MP Dane Lloyd said the closure of the Kingston Penitentiary in 2013 could explain why the num‐ bers are higher for 20122013 and 2013-2014.

Schiefke said three highprofile prison escapes hap‐ pened during the Harper years and accused the Con‐ servatives of having the "worst" record on crime.

Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri said Canadians feel "unsafe under the Trudeau government." She said that for victims of violent crime, the committee's delibera‐ tions are "not political the‐ ater - this is their life."

"Then stop treating it like political theater," Schiefke re‐ sponded.

"Are you for real?" said Ferreri. "You literally just said if this was your family that you would do this."

Conservative and Bloc MPs called Monday's emer‐ gency meeting to debate Ca‐ puto's original motion calling for six meetings to probe the transfer of Magnotta and other prisoner transfers.

That motion also called for testimony from Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, his predecessor Marco Mendicino, Mendici‐ no's former chief of staff, the clerk of the Privy Council Of‐ fice and friends of Bernar‐ do's victims.

Minister left out of loop on Bernardo transfer

CBC News reported on Satur‐ day that Mendicino's chief of staff was briefed last year by the head of Corrections Canada about Bernardo's up‐ coming prison transfer al‐ most two weeks before it happened.

The minister wasn't told about it until after Bernardo had been moved, according to an internal government email.

Documents obtained through an access-to-infor‐ mation request also show Corrections Canada was in contact with the minister's office about Bernardo's transfer a total of seven times between February and May 2020, before Mendicino was briefed.

Bernardo was convicted of first-degree murder in 1995 for killing teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Ma‐ haffy in southern Ontario. He was also convicted of manslaughter for his role in the death of 15-year-old Tammy Homolka.

He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years and has been designated a danger‐ ous offender.

Ferreri read out a state‐ ment to the committee she said was written by French's friends Tennille Chwalczuk, Laura Murray and Marcia Penner.

The statement, issued in response to CBC's reporting, said the three women are "once again saddened and disappointed that the gov‐ ernment of Canada has ad‐ ded to the continued emo‐ tional trauma and victimiza‐ tion" of those affected by Bernardo's crimes.

"To know that so much communication took place about the transfer and yet no one deemed it important enough to ensure that the minister was addressed per‐ sonally speaks yet again to the disregard of victims in our criminal justice system," the statement said. "This has to change. Victims should and must come first."

Committee shouldn't in‐ terfere in transfers: MP

Bloc Québécois MP Kristina Michaud said the committee already has looked into Bernardo's transfer and the focus now should be on whether any error in Magnot‐ ta's psychological assess‐ ment allowed him to be moved to a medium-security prison. Michaud amended the motion to focus on Mag‐ notta and removed political staff from the list of wit‐ nesses to call.

Michaud said that as MPs, they shouldn't interfere in the prison transfer process and warned against using the transfers as an opportunity to engage in politics. The gov‐ ernment has said prison transfers are decisions made independently by CSC.

The emergency meeting also came after Caputo re‐ ported he saw a hockey rink which can double as a tennis court in warmer months at the prison where Magnotta and Bernardo are held. Cor‐ rections Canada said that while there are boards up at the rink, "there has been no ice for the past two winters."

CSC said "opportunities to participate in recreational ac‐ tivities [are] not unique to La Macaza and can be found in other institutions."

A date has not yet been set for the committee meet‐ ing on Magnotta's prison transfer.