Justin Trudeau’s office says staff were alerted in March to the “possibility” that notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo would be transferred to a medium security prison.But the PMO says that Trudeau himself was only briefed on the day it took place, May 29.That briefing was one day before Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says he was told about the transfer, despite his office also knowing for nearly three months that Bernardo was being moved out of maximum-security.The ever-evolving timeline comes as the Conservatives call for Mendicino’s resignation over how his office handled the information.
News that both the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Public Safety Minister’s Office knew about the impending transfer for weeks has conflicted with the shock and condemnation both Trudeau and Mendicino expressed when the move became public early this month.According to a spokesperson for the PMO, the information about the transfer was referred to Mendicino’s office when it was received in March.“When a staff member in the Prime Minister’s Office was alerted in March by the Privy Council Office about the possibility of the transfer, inquiries and requests for information were immediately made to the Public Safety Minister’s Office,” spokesperson Alison Murphy said in a statement to Global News.“That was the right step to take given the Public Safety Minister’s responsibility for the Correctional Service of Canada.”Murphy added Trudeau was briefed about the transfer on May 29, the day Bernardo was transferred.She did not say if the PMO was later alerted when Correctional Services Canada had formalized the transfer, or if Trudeau had any private discussions with Mendicino before news of transfer made headlines on June.