Parliament Hill will be the scene of a rally Friday morning, calling for the reversal of convicted murderer Terri-Lynn McClintic’s transfer to an Indigenous healing lodge.
Rodney Stafford, the father of McClintic’s eight-year-old victim, helped organize the protest. Though the transfer is currently under review by Corrections Canada, Stafford wants to see an immediate ban on child-killers being transferred out of prison.
Participants began gathering on Parliament Hill at 8 a.m., while a similar protest is set to unfold on Saturday at the Woodstock Courthouse at 11 a.m.
She said having one of the rallies at home, where young Tori Stafford was abducted in 2009, makes sense.
“There’s a lot of people here who can’t just drive to Ottawa one day, or maybe don’t have the funds to. So being able to do it in Woodstock where this happened, and having everybody in our community be a part of that, I think that everybody has responded really well to it.”
Participants at both rallies are being asked to wear purple, Tori’s favourite colour, to honour the memory of the little girl. People are also asked to bring tasteful signs with messages of support and love.
Vincent told 980 CFPL their goal is to keep things as positive as possible.
“Nobody is going to respond well to negativity. Nobody ever does. So really just making this about a little girl who is not seeing justice. I think that’s the key thing.”
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters Thursday that a report into the transfer decision is expected to come “within the next couple of days.”
He tasked the commissioner of Corrections Canada to carry out a review of both the transfer and the policies allowing it, after public backlash about McClintic’s move to Saskatchewan.
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