Canada’s prison service says there is no working hockey rink at an institution where a Conservative MP says notorious inmates play “taxpayer-funded serial killer pickup hockey.”
Correctional Service Canada says there is currently no functioning hockey rink or tennis court for inmates to use at La Macaza Institution, located outside of Montreal.
Serial rapist and convicted murderer Paul Bernardo was transferred to the medium-security prison last year from the penitentiary in Ontario where he lived for decades.
His move set off a political firestorm for the Liberals, as the Tories demanded he be returned to serve out his indeterminate life sentence in maximum-security conditions.
The prison service has said procedures were followed and Bernardo had long met the criteria to be reclassified as a medium-security inmate — decisions Ottawa says are made at arm’s length from politicians.
Frank Caputo, a Conservative MP from British Columbia, released a video on social media detailing a tour he took of the institution.
In the video posted Sunday, Caputo said he was angered to learn that the prison provided inmates with a hockey rink and other recreational facilities.
“I walked outside and I had a look and I said, ‘What’s that — looks like a hockey rink,”‘ he recalled in the video. “It was.
“Inmates can go and they can get skates and they can play hockey.”
The correctional service said in a media statement that while boards are up around a rink at the institution, “there has no been no ice for the past two winters.”
“There is currently no functioning hockey rink or tennis court being used by inmates at La Macaza,” spokesperson Kevin Antonucci said in an email.
“It should also be noted that opportunities to participate in recreational activities [are] not unique to La Macaza, and can be found in other institutions.”
Providing inmates with access to recreational activities “promotes safer institutions for those who live and work in our facilities” by allowing them to spend time “in a productive, controlled and healthy manner,” Antonucci added.
In his nearly seven-minute video, Caputo discussed how he was provided access to Bernardo’s cell while the inmate was away.
He said that after a “couple of minutes” in the space, he turned around to see Bernardo, whose likeness was “unmistakable.”
“Just seeing him, coming eye to eye with him, I had a physical reaction,” he said. “Even just talking about this brings back memories.”
The correctional service confirmed that Caputo and union representatives visited the prison in early February and that officials granted the MP’s request to access Bernardo’s cell while the inmate wasn’t present.
“As this visit was by the MP and union representatives, they are better placed to respond to questions about specific events that occurred,” Antonucci said.
However, he added, “it is our understanding that participants did not interact with Paul Bernardo during their visit.”
In a response to The Canadian Press late Monday, Caputo did not directly address questions about that encounter.
He said he wanted to see for himself “how the worst killers like Bernardo are living in more comfortable settings.”
