Interesting reporting today from the CBC’s Neil Morrison and the Citizen’s Dan Gardner. Seems that whatever this past week’s outrage over the decision to pardon Graham James, the government conducted a review of the system three years ago. From Gardner’s version.
Interesting reporting today from the CBC’s Neil Morrison and the Citizen’s Dan Gardner. Seems that whatever this past week’s outrage over the decision to pardon Graham James, the government conducted a review of the system three years ago. From Gardner’s version.
The review was conducted. An array of options was put before the minister. As usual, they covered the gamut. At one extreme was “change nothing.” At the other, “forbid sex offenders from ever receiving pardons under any circumstances.”
Day studied the process, the policy, and the facts, and he concluded some changes were warranted. For example, two parole board members, not one, would be involved in applications by sex offenders. And rather than relying on local police to bring forward information related to the applicant’s conduct, the parole board would be required to go and get any information local police may have. But on the fundamental question — should sex offenders continue to be eligible for pardons? — Day decided in the affirmative.
Graham James received his pardon in 2007. It’s not clear if his application was dealt with before or after Day’s revisions to the process but it does seem certain that no change made by Day would have changed the outcome.