MPs allow fast passage of bill that would keep Karla Homolka from seeking pardon
Posted June 17, 2010 4:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – With lightning speed, MPs have passed a bill that would prevent schoolgirl killer Karla Homolka from seeking a pardon.
The four federal parties quickly agreed Thursday to pass the pardon reform just hours before the Commons was expected to rise for its summer break.
Under the legislation, anyone convicted of a serious personal injury crime would have to wait 10 years after release from prison before applying for a pardon.
Currently, they have to wait three to five years.
The bill must still clear the Senate, but the upper chamber isn’t adjourning right away.
A separate bill to completely change the pardon system by barring serious, violent criminals from even applying, will be debated once the Commons returns in September.
