Good afternoon, Chair and honourable members.
I met Kristen French when I was four years old, and we were instantly best friends. At that time, 31 years ago, our city had crime, but we still felt safe.
The day Kristen was taken will be a moment frozen in time, filled with terror and pain that to this day never leaves me. From the initial phone calls about whether we had seen her to combing the streets searching for her, it was a trauma I have never healed from.
The subsequent two-week search was agonizing as we watched failed lead after lead announced and watched the hours pass into days, knowing the outcome was grim. No one felt safe at any time. Life would never be the same.
After two weeks of a living hell and realizing that she was truly gone forever, the new nightmare began. It was a trial that seemed to take forever and was filled with errors, and a deal with the devil to send Paul Bernardo to a maximum security prison.
Nine counts are what he was given, and 25 years with no parole, yet it didn't seem even close to what he deserved.
At the parole hearing in 2018, the hearing officer stated to Paul Bernardo, “Your understanding and insight remains limited”, and added, “It was evident today that you continue to exhibit behaviours that are counterproductive to the development of insight.”
How is it possible that there is such a drastic change in just four months, from 30-plus years of this type of behaviour to now showing full signs of collaboration and willingness to change? Perhaps a master manipulator and psychopath such as he has a plan to secure more rights and freedoms that he will access at a medium-security facility.
While I understand the comment made at the live press conference delivered by Anne Kelly that the CSC needs to be able to manage these dangerous offenders on the inside, my question is, at what cost?
If it is not psychologically possible for a sadistic psychopath to ever truly change, why should he receive the same privileges offered to the other offenders who actively work towards rehabilitation? I do understand he has rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but it is beyond frustrating to witness him being relocated to a medium security prison.
When the CSC moved Bernardo without proper communication and respect to the victims' families, this actually created a new trauma. It literally stunned not only the families and the friends of the victims, but also the entire community. It caused pure rage, doubt and disturbance all over again, especially with no warning. There was no time to process, to react or to refute. It also brought with it a renewed fear for the public's safety.
The response from Anne Kelly was that they will have more proactive and meaningful discussions with the victims' families. That reply brought more anger and anguish, as the families and friends were left in that moment to do nothing but watch.
I am here to be a voice that stands up for Kristen. One of the many concerns I have is this: Are the victims' rights respected at all in these decisions?
After 31 years, I can say that I have not healed from the horrifying and monstrous loss of Kristen French. There will never be full closure. It changed me forever. It changed who I was and who I became. It made the world around us a darker place.
Knowing that she and his other victims will never get the opportunity to live the life and the dreams they should have has left a profound sadness in our community. All I can do is continue to be her best friend and offer my voice to fight for justice and the rights of the victims of Paul Bernardo to prevent future tragedies.
I plead that you will reconsider your decision and keep dangerous criminals of his calibre where they belong: in a maximum security prison for their entire sentence, for the well-being of our society and out of respect for the victims.
Thank you.