Marco Mendicino confirms departure from Trudeau’s cabinet following Bernardo move

Minister of Public Safety and Immigration Marco Mendicino has confirmed he will no longer serve in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet ahead of what’s expect to be a shake-up at Parliament Hill Wednesday.

It comes weeks after Mendicino faced calls to resign over the move of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security prison in Ontario to a medium-security facility in Quebec.

In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Mendicino said it “has been an honour to serve as Minister for nearly four years. I’m proud of all we accomplished at Immigration and Public Safety.”

“I want to thank my staff and the public service for their tireless work and all that we have achieved together. There remains much to be done, and I’m confident you will carry the torch moving forward,” continued the statement.

He added he plans to stay on as MP for Eglinton-Lawrence for the remainder of this mandate and into the next election. Mendocino was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015.

The minister did not mention Bernardo’s transfer in his statement.

Mendicino’s staff knew of Bernardo’s transfer ahead of the official move on May 18 but did not tell the minister about the convicted serial killer and rapist’s transfer until the day after it happened.

The minister’s office says staff were not trying to protect Mendicino by not telling him, and instead were examining their options as the public safety minister has no power over transfer decisions.

At the time, Mendicino also released a statement, saying he shared the “anger and disappointment” of the decision and outlined the directives he will be issuing to the Correctional Service of Canada.

However, calls for his resignation came swiftly following the news breaking with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accusing Mendicino of lying about his knowledge of the transfer.

A recent review from Correctional Services Canada found that Bernardo’s transfer from Millhaven Institution to La Macaza Institution was “sound.” It “followed all applicable laws and policies,” CSC said while admitting more could have been done to inform victims’ families.

Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the murders, kidnapping and torture of 15-year-old French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s. He has admitted to sexually assaulting 14 other women and was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Tammy Homolka, who died after being drugged and sexually assaulted.

Four other cabinet ministers have announced they won’t be seeking re-election, including Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in the lead-up to the cabinet shuffle.

The others are Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett.

The next federal election must take place by October 2025, but it could be called well before then.

With files from News Staff and The Canadian Press