CALGARY, AB: United Conservative Justice Critic Angela Pitt and Solicitor General Critic Mike Ellis have issued the following statement regarding the planned reintegration of Matthew DeGrood into society:
“Like many Albertans, we share the concerns about the recent Alberta Review Board decision to continue to grant more freedoms to an individual who murdered five people.
“Let us be clear, we understand that Matthew De Grood was found to be not criminally responsible for his violent actions that saw him take the lives of five young people. What is not understood is how the Alberta Review Board continues to grant more freedoms to De Grood, while seemingly ignoring the incredibly gruesome nature of the crime, and the impact that seeing such a man on the streets would have on public trust in our justice system.
“We call on Minister Ganley to use her prerogative as Attorney General to immediately appeal the review board’s decision to put De Grood on a fast track to freedom, and to end the practice of ignoring the real victims of this heinous crime and the families that are left to pick up the pieces.
“We also call on the minister to immediately come clean with Albertans on why a high-risk designation has not been applied to an individual who is clearly capable of inflicting incredible violence on citizens at large. The High-Risk Not Criminally Responsible designation is precisely for cases like Matthew De Grood. Public safety is at risk. Inaction is not acceptable to Albertans.”