Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. O'Sullivan, for being here and for the good work you're doing to represent victims.
Like you, I don't want to give Clifford Olson any more publicity than he should have. However, a number of the families of his victims spoke at the parole hearing you attended about Bill S-6, which we dealt with a week ago, and about this bill, Bill C-48. I think their words should be heard.
I'm reading from an article that was posted on the CBC website on December 1. The headline is “Olson victims' families want tougher parole law”:
The federal government as well as families of Clifford Olson's victims say the process by which serial killers can seek parole has to change.
Inmates like Olson have the right to request a parole hearing every two years once they have served the bulk of their sentence, but the families of their victims must be put through the process of restating their opposition to any release.
“Oh, it's very painful,” Raymond King, whose son was killed by Olson, said after the hearing Tuesday. “Every time we hear his name, we live this all over again. And to have to come all this way for this...it's really hard.”
Sharon Rosenfeldt, the mother of another boy killed by Olson, said no family should have to go through this every two years.
“If they can pass some kind of a law, so that the families don't have to go through this grief and aggravation every two years, that would be great.”
Those words were also reiterated by Michael Manning, who is the father of another girl who was killed by Olson.
“People like him, multiple murderers, will not be able to have a hearing every two years,” said Rosenfeldt.
Michael Manning, whose daughter was killed by Olson, came to Tuesday's hearing to support fellow families and the proposed law. “If they can pass some kind of a law, so that the families don't have to go through this grief and aggravation every two years, that would be great.”
I think those are important quotes that people need to hear.
There are people in this room and people representing the criminal defence bar who would say you don't have to worry about people like Clifford Olson because he's never going to get out; he's not going to get out, so he's not going to revictimize the families.
But I think we need to hear his words. This is what Clifford Olson said on Tuesday:
I'm here because I have a right to appear, he said. I'm not asking the board for parole, because I know I'm going to be turned down.
He made those victims' families come all the way to that parole hearing from across Canada to relive the pain again because he had the right.
The article points out that he will have that right again in two years' time. Do you have any comment on that?