MPs have agreed to call Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and the chairperson of the Parole Board of Canada to testify as part of a House of Commons committee study into the Saskatchewan mass murders.
During a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, MPs on the House Public Safety and National Security Committee voted to undertake a study into the mass stabbing in James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Weldon that left 11 dead—including one of the suspects Damien Sanderson— and 18 injured.
Amid the manhunt for the second suspect, Myles Sanderson, The Canadian Press reported— citing Parole Board of Canada documents— that he had been wanted since May for failing to report to his parole officer after his statutory prison release in August 2021 was revoked.
This raised questions over why officials granted his release initially, saying Sanderson wouldn't "present an undue risk to society if released" despite his nearly 20-year criminal record and 59 convictions, including assault, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer and robbery.
In addition to Mendicino and Parole Board of Canada Chairperson Jennifer Oades, the committee wants to hear from the Commissioner of Correctional Services Canada Anne Kelly.
Mendicino has already announced that the Parole Board of Canada and Correctional Services Canada are conducting a joint inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sanderson's release.
"I know that there will be a lot of questions about our parole system. I think that that is entirely appropriate, and it is important that, that we reflect on how that system works. And as I said, we're going to continue to look at the laws, the policies and the resources that are necessary to, to make sure that we keep our communities safe," he told reporters on Sept. 15.
According to the Conservatives, the motion to take on this study was their initiative, with the goal of examining the decisions of the courts, the parole board, and corrections officials.
“Many questions surrounding this horrific tragedy remain unanswered," said Conservative MP and public safety critic Raquel Dancho in a statement.
"Canadians deserve a justice system that keeps them safe from dangerous criminals. The families of James Cree First Nation deserve to know why our justice system so horrifically failed them and how Parliament will ensure it never happens again," Dancho said.
The committee has yet to post when these hearings will happen, but as part of the motion to undertake the study they've agreed— as is routine with committee studies— to submit a report with findings to the House of Commons.
The federal government is being asked to table "a comprehensive response" to their findings.
This study is in addition to the ongoing police investigation and two recently announced coronor inquests into the tragic incidents—one focusing on the killings, including of one of the suspects, while the other will examine the in-custody death of Myles Sanderson.
With files from CTV News Saskatoon and The Canadian Press
