Senator Plett: Thank you, Senator Gold. I look forward to you getting back to us on that.

Senator Gold, I’m puzzled — indeed, outraged — about this situation, as are Canadians. Why does the board not automatically — and I believe you served on the Parole Board — post every decision with reasons on its website?

One could easily black out information to protect victims, so why isn’t there full transparency in every other respect? Why isn’t every Parole Board decision automatically made public? Will the government commit to making them so? Court proceedings, as well as nearly every other tribunal, are public.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, Robyn Urback wrote in the Globe and Mail a few weeks ago that this case illustrates a sad reality about Canada’s justice system and that it is a revolving door system with short sentences, usually less than five years. Of course, I’m referring to the murders in Saskatchewan.

Generous parole provisions, automatic statutory release at the two-thirds mark of the sentence and often insufficient rehabilitation programming. As a member of the Parole Board, you have obviously seen the endless parade of offenders before the board, where complex cases are reviewed in a very short space of time because sheer volume allows for little else. In this case, the offender was serving a sentence of only 53 months for violent offences despite dozens of previous convictions, yet he was out on statutory release in just two thirds of that time.

Senator Gold, this is something you can answer; you don’t have to ask. Would you not agree that this case shows that we have a fundamental problem in our justice system, and will you do everything you can to convince the government to commit to reviewing its entire approach to criminal justice matters in the face of the tragedy that just occurred?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question today is for the government leader in the Senate.

Senator Gold, earlier this month — and we have spent 33 minutes on statements on this today — the worst fears of more than a dozen Canadian families were realized when an individual, described as having a long criminal history, murdered 10 people and wounded 18 others.

The description of a long criminal history, of course, barely scratches the surface since the offender in question had — as Senator Wallin mentioned in her statement — 59 criminal convictions spanning 20 years, including for violent crimes such as assault, assault with a weapon, assault on a police officer, uttering threats and robbery.

Minister Mendicino has said that there will be a Parole Board inquiry into this case. Leader, 10 Canadians are dead and 18 were wounded. Will the government ensure that every aspect and relevant fact of this inquiry will be fully available to Parliament and to the Canadian public?