Public Safety committee  The joint investigation by the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board Canada is a mandatory, legislated investigation when tragic violent events such as this one occur. The problem with these types of investigations is public perception. They give the impression that they are completely internal investigations, that they are only about investigating the organization.

Public Safety committee  In my opinion, it wasn't a bad assessment and it was conducted according to the criteria in the act, the decision-making policies and the regulations. Let's not say that the decision was in error, let's say that the case could have been handled differently. Among other things—

Public Safety committee  All decisions regarding life sentence cases were made by a team made up of—

Public Safety committee  Yes, I can hear you and see you.

Public Safety committee  Thank you.

Public Safety committee  I can hear you.

Public Safety committee  When I joined the board in 1986, all life sentence cases were handled by a panel of five board members. At that time, there were three board members who worked for the board, plus two board members from the community. They did not receive the same training as the other board members and sat as citizens in life sentence cases only.

Public Safety committee  The board always uses information previously processed by the Correctional Service. Case preparation in the Correctional Service is done by experts. A correctional plan established at the beginning of the sentence includes the requirement to meet certain goals, including participation in programs and psychological evaluation and monitoring.

Public Safety committee  It's hard to determine whether those factors had a direct impact. After all, the person responsible for these events is the offender himself. Still, experienced board members might have made different decisions. I am not arguing that it was a bad decision. It is consistent with the act, the regulations and the policies.

Public Safety committee  The work can be done by two board members, as long as they have the experience. I am not saying today that the decisions made in Mr. Gallese's case are not good. They are decisions that, overall, comply with the board's legislation and policies. However, I think that somewhat different decisions could have been made and that the members did not really have all the experience needed to see the entire range of decisions available to them, as decision-makers, at that time.

Public Safety committee  Okay.

Public Safety committee  When they decided not to revoke the inmate's day parole, the board members could have extended it, but not for six months. They could have extended it for one or two months, scheduled a new hearing and requested a new release plan and a new, updated psychological evaluation. The evaluation that the board members had was done in 2017, although our policy dictates that these evaluations are valid for two years.

Public Safety committee  I will try to turn off the video. It's done. Does it work better now?

Public Safety committee  I am testifying today as an individual, not only as a retired lawyer, but also as a former board member of the Parole Board of Canada. I started my private practice in 1979, in Drummondville. While continuing with my practice, I was a part–time board member starting in 1986. Five years later, in 1991, I was appointed as a full–time board member for a five–year term, which ended in 1996.

Public Safety committee  Thank you very much. Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before the committee today. The point of my appearance is not to blame anyone, but rather to suggest potential solutions to improve the system in order to better protect society.