Who will ever forget the heart-wrenching funeral of RCMP Constable David Wynn in 2015?
He had been shot to death by a man out on bail who later took his own life.
The killer had many charges against him, including weapons offences, that the judge may not have known about, because section 515 of the Criminal Code indicates his criminal history may be disclosed and not shall be disclosed during a bail hearing.
Michael Cooper, Conservative MP for St. Albert-Edmonton, tried to get that changed to make disclosure mandatory with Bill S-217 but the bill was killed by the Liberal majority. They said it might cause court delays if the information was not readily available.
As if court cases don’t drag on already.
Our local Liberal MPs even voted against it. One told me the party planned to cover it with a re-vamp of that part of the Criminal Code.
WATCH BELOW: (From May 2017) Mountie’s widow speaks out as Wynn’s Law looks unlikely to become law
Maybe they’ve been too busy. Section 515 still indicates may instead of shall.
I wonder if the Liberals will have time to fix this before the fall election?
You’ve heard it said that the wheels of justice turn slowly but grind finely.
Slowly is what we’ve seen for the last four years. I wonder if the fatality inquiry recommendations on this will include the “finely” part.
Let me know what you think.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations.