BC serial killer Robert Pickton became eligible for parole this week, and Conservative politicians in Canada are using it as an opportunity to advocate for a tougher approach to crime.
Parole is considered a bridge between incarceration and living in community, where offenders are eligible for conditional release if approved by the Parole Board of Canada.
Although Pickton is now eligible to apply, the Parole Board of Canada has not told Daily Hive whether an application has been filed. No approval has been granted, and Pickton remains incarcerated.
Rob Moore, Conservative Party of Canada MP and justice critic, called Pickton’s parole eligibility “unacceptable” in a February 22 statement.
“The only way Robert Pickton should ever leave prison is in a coffin,” Moore said.
He criticized the parole process, saying Pickton’s eligibility means “for every two years from now until his death, he can re-traumatize the families of his victims by making them explain why he must be held in prison.”
Pickton was convicted of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women in 2007, though he was charged with killing 26 women in total.
Police found human remains and DNA samples from victims at Pickton’s pig farm east of Vancouver while investigating the disappearance of more than 60 women from the Downtown Eastside.
Metro Vancouver Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay added her voice this week when she went before the Justice Committee.
“We want to stop the re-victimization of those who’ve been hurt by this heinous murderer,” she said. “He’s tortured women, he’s murdered women, and the women of British Columbia and families of the victims deserve better.”
I’m at Justice Committee today to ensure the victims of Robert Pickton’s heinous crimes are not re-traumatized with unnecessary parole hearings.
Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/akY1tpkxr5
— Kerry-Lynne Findlay (@KerryLynneFindl) February 26, 2024
Her motion to keep Pickton behind bars for the rest of his life gained unanimous support in Parliament, though critics say in practice it won’t have a hold over court processes.
Conservative motion passed unanimously that convicted murderer Robert Pickton should stay behind bars forever.
Stop the crime and fix the bail system the Liberals broke. https://t.co/PXLysfPn39
— Tracy Gray (@TracyGrayKLC) February 26, 2024
Victims’ families held a vigil this week at Pickton’s farm, where photographs of the women were printed and hung on fence posts.
View this post on Instagram
Not everyone approved of the Conservative MPs using Pickton’s parole as an opportunity to weigh in with their stance on crime. While some supported the politicians’ statements, others accused them of using the moment for their gain.
It’s YOU exploiting the famlies by spreading this all over social media. HE WILL NOT GET PAROLE and you know it. Please stop.
— Mari – Blocks bots and abusive behavior. 🌻🤔🌈 (@MgtmMoisan) February 26, 2024
Others pointed out that Pickton was tried and sentenced while a Conservative government was in power and that the Conservatives’ platform allows for parole.
That is not what your platform says pic.twitter.com/xEN10FaY6F
— td Richardson 6691 (@nannytdr66) February 22, 2024
He was tried, convicted and sentenced when the Cons were in power.
— Boreal_Girl (@Boreal_Girl) February 24, 2024
Daily Hive has reached out to the Parole Board of Canada for more information on Pickton’s eligibility.
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