A version of this letter was published in the Vancouver Sun
Last week, Robert Pickton, Canada’s most prolific serial killer, became eligible for parole. As we mark another painful milestone in the story of Vancouver’s Missing Women we need to reflect on the continued pain and suffering of the victims and their families.
The wounds left behind by Pickton’s brutal murders run deep. For those who lost loved ones, these wounds will never completely heal.
This case hits close to home for all of us here in Vancouver Granville. Some of you may know that it is particularly difficult for me to see this murderer come up for parole, because I worked on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and knew many of the victims. Five years after Robert Pickton was arrested, I was a witness for the Crown and testified in a courtroom filled with grieving families. This is a memory I can never erase.
The Pickton trial began in January 2007 and concluded in December of the same year making it one of Canada’s longest, most expensive trials in our history.
This week, the Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, and the Conservative members of the Justice Committee worked hard to ensure that Robert Pickton’s parole request would be denied.
Prolific offenders such as Robert Pickton must stay in prison. For the families of Pickton’s victims, just mentioning his name induces a profound sense of loss, pain, and anger. Their lives were forever changed by his actions, and each parole hearing serves as a painful reminder of the horrors his victims endured.
After eight years of this Liberal-NDP coalition Canada has witnessed a disturbing shift in its approach to justice. This is a shift that prioritizes the rights and interests of criminals over those of the victims.
It’s time for a common sense approach to law and order. It’s time for a Conservative Poilievre Government.
Please take out a Conservative Party of Canada membership to support my nomination and become eligible to vote in the upcoming nomination election:
Then, visit my website to register your vote of support: www.voteelaineallan.ca