LILLEY: Trudeau’s policy led to Magnotta’s transfer to medium security

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The transfer of Luka Magnotta to a medium-security prison, just like serial killer Paul Bernardo, is all part of Justin Trudeau’s soft on crime policies.

Thanks to reporting by the Toronto Sun’s Michel Mandel, we can now confirm Magnotta’s transfer from the Port Cartier maximum-security prison to the medium-security La Macaza facility was authorized on Aug. 9, 2022. That’s nine months before Bernardo’s transfer to that same Quebec prison was authorized.

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In all likelihood, there are more high-profile murderers and dangerous offenders now in medium-security prisons than we know about.

Last summer, after news of Bernardo’s transfer broke, there were recurring rumours that serial killer and rapist Russell Williams had been transferred to a medium-security facility, likely La Macaza, around the same time as Bernardo.

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While most with knowledge of the situation didn’t want to speak, one victim did confirm that she understood Williams had been moved. She then quickly said she didn’t want to talk about it, it was too painful, and that she didn’t want to be part of any story.

The story though is that putting people like Luka Magnotta, Paul Bernardo or Russell Williams into medium or even minimum-security jails is policy for the Trudeau Liberals.

Bill C-83, introduced by former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in October 2018 and passed into law in June 2019, requires prisoners to be held in the least restrictive conditions.

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“If a person is or is to be confined in a penitentiary, the Service shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the penitentiary in which they are confined is one that provides them with the least restrictive environment for that person,” sates the bill, which is now law.

So, when bureaucrats reacted to the outrage surrounding Bernardo’s transfer last summer by saying the transfer was sound and “followed all applicable laws and policies” what they were really saying was they followed Trudeau’s orders.

Since coming to power in 2015, the Trudeau Liberals have lowered sentences for serious gun crimes like gun smuggling and extortion with a firearm. They got rid of mandatory minimum sentences for repeat violent offenders saying people should not be jailed for youthful mistakes.

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They passed a bail reform package that made bail the default position, even for repeat violent offenders. That change was only reversed after pressure from the premiers of every single province representing all political parties due to the chaos it caused.

Now, we are seeing the results of their soft on crime policies when it comes to prisoners. Both Magnotta and Bernardo now enjoy greater freedoms than they deserve, freedoms forever denied to their victims, due to a failed Liberal policy.

Last summer, the government tried to pretend the Bernardo transfer was all decided by the bureaucracy, that they were never even informed. We know that isn’t true because we’ve seen the emails informing the key people.

They will likely try to claim the same with Magnotta – it wasn’t their decision, they didn’t know. They will claim that Correctional Services Canada is an arms-length agency, that the government cannot direct them.

None of that will be true but, more importantly, it doesn’t matter.

In allowing the transfer of Magnotta, then Bernardo and likely other monsters, CSC was simply following the direction given to them by the Trudeau government. This was a government decision because they wrote and passed the legislation that led to these moves.

Elections have consequences and by repeatedly electing the Trudeau Liberals, the rights of convicts and prisoners have been raised above those of victims and society at large.

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