Niagara MP’s ‘Bernardo bill’ defeated in House of Commons

The so-called ‘Bernardo Bill’ has been defeated in the House of Commons.

Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli’s private member’s bill would have required inmates who had been found to be dangerous offenders or those convicted of more than one first-degree murder to be kept in a maximum-security jail.

The bill was voted down late this afternoon in the House of Commons.

“This legislative effort was about doing what was right, by ensuring criminal monsters such as Paul Bernardo, Mark Smich, Dellen Millard, and Luka Magnotta were returned to serve their sentences in maximum security, where they rightly belonged. Sadly, these Mark Carney Liberals voted against this common-sense change. These criminals should never have been allowed to be transferred from maximum-security confinement. Yet, because of bad Liberal policies in Bill C-83, that is exactly what happened in all of these cases.”

Baldinelli says he made a promise to his constituents to fight to correct a bad policy decision and despite this setback, he remains committed to ensuring changes will be made.

The bill was backed by Kristen French’s friend, Marcia Penner, who is also a Victims’ Rights Advocate.

Paul Bernardo, a serial killer and rapist, was transferred to a medium security jail three years ago sparking public outrage.

Story and image credit: Bonnie Heslop