WATCH: A federal-provincial feud has erupted over new freedoms granted to the Manitoba man responsible for a gruesome murder on a Greyhound bus nearly six years ago. Shirlee Engel reports.
WINNIPEG – A federal-provincial political spat has erupted over new freedoms granted to a Manitoba man who beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus.
Manitoba’s senior federal cabinet minister, Shelly Glover, is calling on the province to appeal a ruling by the Criminal Code Review Board in the case of Vince Li.
WATCH: Federal Minister wants Manitoba to overturn Vince Li decision
Li was found not criminally responsible for the 2008 death of Tim McLean, and the review board has decided he can start having unescorted passes from his mental hospital.
Glover calls the ruling wrong and is suggesting the province should take it to the Court of Appeal.
Related: Should Vince Li be granted unescorted visits? Experts weigh in
The Manitoba government says Glover is trying to score political points.
Rachel Morgan, a spokeswoman for Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan, says the federal government is responsible for the laws governing people like Li.
“As Ms. Glover knows, the attorney general does not direct Crown attorneys on criminal cases. The attorney general’s job is to advocate for better federal laws, such as amendments to … the Criminal Code,” Morgan wrote in an email Friday.
“That’s why Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan wrote to the federal government and urged them on multiple occasions to change laws, so that public safety would be the primary consideration when making decisions on these cases.”
Premier Greg Selinger also expressed concern. He said he is opposed to Li leaving the hospital without any supervision.
“We would like to see more security for the public in these passes, yes,” Selinger said from Toronto, where he was attending an energy conference.
Even if the provincial government stepped in to demand an appeal, it would be an uphill battle. The Crown did not oppose any of the changes to Li’s conditions at the review board hearing on Monday.
Lead psychiatrist Dr. Steven Kremer said Li, a schizophrenic, has stopped experiencing delusions and is a model, non-violent patient.
Instead of the supervised outings Li had been granted previously, he will be allowed unescorted trips from the Selkirk Mental Health Centre into the nearby city of Selkirk. The visits, to begin Thursday, are to start at 30 minutes and increase to full days.
As well, Li’s supervision on outings to other communities — Winnipeg, Lockport and nearby beaches — will be relaxed. He is to be part of a group without a staff member dedicated to monitoring him.
WATCH: Federal Minister Shelly Glover calls decision on Vince Li “insulting” and implores Manitoba government to intervene
Li is also to be moved to an unlocked ward at the hospital from the secure wing where he has been kept.
Li, 46, was found not criminally responsible for stabbing and beheading McLean, a young carnival worker, in July 2008.
The two men were strangers when Li sat next to McLean on a bus ride to Winnipeg from Edmonton. Li’s attack was unprovoked – he said he heard voices telling him to kill McLean. The bus stopped and horrified passengers fled as Li carved up McLean’s body.
Li was initially kept inside a locked wing of the Selkirk mental hospital for 24 hours a day. Each year the review board has granted him more freedoms.
Comments