A law named for the late Lyle and Marie McCann was introduced in the House of Commons today by Dane Lloyd, MP for Sturgeon River-Parkland, which would require convicted killers to disclose the locations of the remains of their victims or face consequences.
The proposed bill, C-437, would create penalties for those convicted of an offence related to the death of a person or persons and who refuses to provide information regarding the location of the body or remains of the victim. The bill aims to impose consequences at sentencing, parole eligibility and conditional release applications if the location of the remains are not disclosed.
“This isn’t about being vindictive and punishing criminals. This is about giving the tools to our justice system to help families find the remains of their loved ones,” said Lloyd in a release.
The bill is motivated by the deaths of the senior McCann couple, who disappeared in 2010. Their remains have never been discovered.
Travis Vader was convicted of manslaughter in their deaths in 2017 and received a life sentence. He will be eligible for parole in 2021.
Bret McCann, the son of Lyle and Marie McCann, said without the bodies of his parents, his family has not been able to fully grieve their loss.
“By withholding where he left their bodies, Vader is able to continuously revictimize our family. And without a proper funeral and memorial, our family is unable to fully grieve and reach a measure of closure.”
