Docket: T-32-11
Citation: 2011 FC 1135
Ottawa, Ontario, October 5,
2011
PRESENT: The Honourable Madam Justice Mactavish
BETWEEN:
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NICOLA DEL VECCHIO
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Applicant
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and
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MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS
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Respondent
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REASONS FOR JUDGMENT AND
JUDGMENT
[1]
Nicola
Del Vecchio was convicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and
is currently serving a prison term of 15 years and 8 months in the United States. Mr. Del
Vecchio seeks judicial review of a decision of the Minister of Public Safety
and Emergency Preparedness refusing his request for a transfer pursuant to
section 7 of the International Transfer of Offenders Act, S.C. 2004, c.
24 [ITOA]. The transfer would have allowed Mr. Del Vecchio to serve the
remainder of his prison sentence in Canada.
[2]
Mr.
Del Vecchio asserts that in exercising his discretion to refuse the transfer,
the Minister erred in failing to consider the treatment accorded to his co-conspirators,
some of whom have been permitted to serve portions of their sentences in Canada. Mr. Del
Vecchio further argues that the failure of the Correctional Service of Canada
(CSC) to address his arguments in the briefing memorandum prepared for the
Minister resulted in his having been treated unfairly in relation to his
transfer request. Finally, Mr. Del Vecchio argues that the Minister’s
conclusion that Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer would not achieve the purposes of
the ITOA was unreasonable.
[3]
For
the reasons that follow, I have concluded that the Minister decision was indeed
unreasonable. As a consequence, Mr. Del Vecchio’s application for judicial
review will be allowed and his transfer request will be remitted to the
Minister for reconsideration.
Background
[4]
Mr.
Del Vecchio is a Canadian citizen from the Montreal area. He is
married and has a 10-year-old son. On October 21, 2000, RCMP Officers arrested
Mr. Del Vecchio when he and two co-conspirators arrived at a pre-designated
location to receive a shipment of cocaine. Mr. Del Vecchio had previously
arranged for the transportation of the cocaine from New Jersey to Montreal.
[5]
Mr.
Del Vecchio was extradited to the United States, and was subsequently
convicted of conspiracy to distribute 30 kilograms of cocaine. On July 17,
2003, Mr. Del Vecchio was sentenced to a prison term of 188 months, to be
followed by 5 years of supervised release. In imposing sentence on Mr. Del
Vecchio, the trial judge recommended that he be permitted to serve his sentence
in Canada. Mr. Del
Vecchio is currently incarcerated at the Low Security Correctional Institution
in Allenwood,
Pennsylvania.
[6]
Mr.
Del Vecchio has made four previous transfer requests. The first was refused by
the United States Department of Justice. After the American authorities
consented to Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer in 2006, subsequent transfer requests
were refused by Ministers Day and Van Loan. Mr. Del Vecchio’s most recent
transfer request was refused by Minister Toews.
[7]
After
receipt of Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer application, the CSC prepared an
assessment of the request which was provided to the Minister for his assistance
in considering the request. Unlike previous applications of this nature, the
briefing note in this case did not provide a specific recommendation to the
Minister as to whether Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer application should be granted
or refused.
[8]
CSC’s
assessment did note that Mr. Del Vecchio’s co-conspirators had already been
transferred to Canada in accordance with the ITOA. It concluded
that there was no reason to believe that Mr. Del Vecchio’s return to Canada would pose a
threat to the security of Canada or that he would thereafter commit an act
of terrorism. The note also referred to positive community assessments and Mr.
Del Vecchio’s successful adjustment to incarceration in the U.S. However, the
report also observed that Mr. Del Vecchio’s offence was linked to a criminal
organization of Columbian origin, and that the FBI had received information
that Mr. Del Vecchio was affiliated with the Rizzuto crime family.
The Minister’s Decision
[9]
The
Minister explained in his decision that each transfer request is considered
according to “the unique facts and circumstances as presented to me in the
context of the purposes of the Act and the specific factors enumerated in
section 10.”
[10]
In
specific reference to Mr. Del Vecchio, the Minister considered whether he
would, after the transfer, commit a criminal organization offence within the
meaning of section 2 of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46. The
Minister made no express finding on this point, but did note that:
1. Mr. Del Vecchio’s offence
arose out of a sophisticated operation involving several accomplices and large
quantities of cocaine;
2. There was evidence that Mr.
Del Vecchio was a senior participant in the drug smuggling operation;
3. If the operation had been
successfully completed, individuals and the group involved in the operation
would have received material or financial benefit; and
4. There was evidence that Mr.
Del Vecchio was linked to a criminal organization within Canada at the time of the offence.
[11]
The
Minister recognized Mr. Del Vecchio’s family ties to Canada and the fact that
his mother and brother are in Canada and had expressed their support for his
transfer. The Minister further noted that Mr. Del Vecchio was currently in
stable emotional health in the U.S. prison. However, the Minister concluded
that Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer would not “achieve the purposes of the Act”.
The Legislative
Framework
[12]
Mr.
Del Vecchio’s transfer request is governed by the provisions of the ITOA.
The purpose of the legislation is described in section 3 of the Act, which
provides that:
3.
The purpose of this Act is to contribute to the administration of justice and
the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community by
enabling offenders to serve their sentences in the country of which they are
citizens or nationals.
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3.
La présente loi a pour objet de faciliter l'administration de la justice et
la réadaptation et la réinsertion sociale des délinquants en permettant à
ceux-ci de purger leur peine dans le pays dont ils sont citoyens ou
nationaux.
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[13]
The
term “administration of justice” in section 3 has been interpreted broadly to
include public safety and security considerations: Holmes v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2011 FC 112, [2011]
F.C.J. No. 82, at paras. 8-9.
[14]
The
ITOA does not create or recognize a right of Canadian offenders to
return to Canada to serve
their sentences, but does create a framework for implementing Canada's
international treaty obligations: Lebon v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2011 FC 1018, [2011]
F.C.J. No. 1261 at para. 33, Divito v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2011 FCA 39, [2011]
F.C.J. No. 100, [“Divito, FCA”] at para. 88.
[15]
Transfers
under the ITOA are a discretionary privilege for offenders incarcerated
abroad, predicated on Canada undertaking to administer their sentences and
assuming the risks and responsibilities of these undertakings: Kozarov v
Canada (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2007 FC 866,
[2007] F.C.J. No. 1132 at para 28.
[16]
Section
10 of the ITOA identifies factors that the Minister is required to
consider in deciding whether to approve a transfer request. It provides that:
10.
(1) In determining whether to consent to the transfer of a Canadian offender,
the Minister shall consider the following factors:
(a)
whether the offender's return to Canada
would constitute a threat to the security of Canada;
(b)
whether the offender left or remained outside Canada with the intention of
abandoning Canada as their place of permanent
residence;
(c)
whether the offender has social or family ties in Canada; and
(d)
whether the foreign entity or its prison system presents a serious threat to
the offender's security or human rights.
(2)
In determining whether to consent to the transfer of a Canadian or foreign
offender, the Minister shall consider the following factors:
(a)
whether, in the Minister's opinion, the offender will, after the transfer,
commit a terrorism offence or criminal organization offence within the
meaning of section 2 of the Criminal Code; and
(b)
whether the offender was previously transferred under this Act or the
Transfer of Offenders Act, chapter T-15 of the Revised Statutes of Canada,
1985.
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10.
(1) Le ministre tient compte des facteurs ci-après pour décider s'il consent
au transfèrement du délinquant canadien :
a)
le retour au Canada du délinquant peut constituer une menace pour la sécurité
du Canada;
b)
le délinquant a quitté le Canada ou est demeuré à l'étranger avec l'intention
de ne plus considérer le Canada comme le lieu de sa résidence permanente;
c)
le délinquant a des liens sociaux ou familiaux au Canada;
d)
l'entité étrangère ou son système carcéral constitue une menace sérieuse pour
la sécurité du délinquant ou ses droits de la personne.
(2)
Il tient compte des facteurs ci-après pour décider s'il consent au transfèrement
du délinquant canadien ou étranger:
a) à
son avis, le délinquant commettra, après son transfèrement, une infraction de
terrorisme ou une infraction d'organisation criminelle, au sens de l'article
2 du Code criminel;
b)
le délinquant a déjà été transféré en vertu de la présente loi ou de la Loi
sur le transfèrement des délinquants, chapitre T-15 des Lois révisées du
Canada (1985).
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[17]
While
the Minister may take advice in respect of a transfer request under the ITOA,
he must make the final decision himself and the decision-making power may not
be delegated: Kozarov, at para. 24.
[18]
The
list of factors set out in section 10 of the ITOA is not exhaustive:
Holmes at para.12 and Lebron at para. 45. In determining whether a
transfer would serve the purposes of the ITOA, it is open to the
Minister to take into consideration any other factors relevant to those
purposes: Lebron at para. 66. Section 10 of the ITOA simply
identifies factors to be weighed by the Minister in a reasonable and
transparent way: Holmes, at paras. 38-39, Lebron at para. 62. The
statutory factors must, however, be considered in light of the purposes of the Act:
Tippett v Canada (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness), 2011 FC 814, [2011] F.C.J. No. 1015 at para. 42.
Standard of Review
[19]
The
parties agree that the substance of the Minister’s decision is to be reviewed
against the standard of reasonableness: see Divito, FCA, at para. 70.
[20]
In
reviewing a decision against the reasonableness standard, the Court must
consider the justification, transparency and intelligibility of the
decision-making process, and whether the decision falls within a range of
possible acceptable outcomes which are defensible in light of the facts and the
law: see Dunsmuir v New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9, [2008] 1 S.C.R. 190 at
para. 47, and Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v Khosa, 2009 SCC
12, [2009] 1 S.C.R. 339 at para. 59.
[21]
The
Minister is accorded a high degree of discretion under the ITOA, with
the result that considerable deference is owed to Ministerial decisions
regarding transfer requests: see Duarte v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2011 FC 602, [2011]
F.C.J. No. 805 at para. 12, and Grant v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2010 FC 958, [2010]
F.C.J. No. 1189 (Grant #2) at paras. 20-30.
[22]
As
Justice Harrington underscored at paragraph 22 of Divito v Canada (Minister
of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2009 FC 983, [2009] F.C.J.
No. 1158 (“Divito, FC”), the question for the Court is not whether it
would have been reasonable for the Minister to agree to the transfer, but
rather whether it was unreasonable for the Minister to refuse the transfer.
[23]
Insofar
as Mr. Del Vecchio’s arguments relate to the fairness of the process followed
in relation to his request, the task for the Court is to determine whether the
process followed satisfied the level of fairness required in all of the
circumstances: see Khosa, at para. 43.
Was Mr. Del Vecchio
Treated Unfairly?
[24]
Mr.
Del Vecchio’s procedural fairness argument may be briefly disposed of. He
submits that the submissions that he made in relation to his transfer request
included significant information about his accomplices, including the fact that
the transfer of two of his accomplices had been approved. Mr. Del Vecchio also submitted
information indicating that his level of culpability was less than that of his
co-conspirators, a factor that he says mitigated in favour of the approval of
his transfer.
[25]
According
to Mr. Del Vecchio, CSC’s memorandum makes no reference to this information. He
argues that, in the circumstances, he should have been afforded the opportunity
to comment on the memorandum before CSC forwarded it to the Minister. In
support of this application for judicial review, Mr. Del Vecchio has filed an
affidavit from a legal assistant in his counsel’s office which produces
additional documents relating to the accomplices. Mr. Del Vecchio argues that
these documents could have been put before the Minister in support of his
application, had he been aware of the content of the memorandum.
[26]
Section
7 of the ITOA allows an offender to make prior representations to the
Minister through a written request in which he may address all pertinent
factors and circumstances: Divito FC at para. 58. It is incumbent on the
offender to “put his best foot forward” and to include with his application all
of the information that he wishes to have considered by the Minister.
[27]
There
is authority for the proposition that where CSC provides the Minister with information
of which an applicant for a transfer is unaware, the applicant should be given
a copy of the CSC memorandum or a fair summary of it: see Balili v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2011 FC 396, [2011]
F.C.J. No. 521 at para. 14. That is not, however, the situation here. Mr. Del
Vecchio was in possession of all of the information in issue, and there is no
explanation as to why he could not have provided the Minister with this
information at the outset, if he thought it was important.
[28]
The
fact that some of Mr. Del Vecchio’s accomplices had already been transferred to
Canada was
specifically referred to in the CSC memorandum. In addition, the material
before the Minister included Mr. Del Vecchio’s submissions as to the relative
culpability of the various parties to the conspiracy. The additional
information that Mr. Del Vecchio says that he would have provided to the
Minister, had he been afforded the opportunity to comment on the CSC report,
adds little to the information already before the Minister.
[29]
In
these circumstances, I am not persuaded that Mr. Del Vecchio was treated
unfairly in the processing of his transfer request.
Was the Minister’s
Decision Unreasonable?
[30]
Section
11 of the ITOA requires that the Minister provide written reasons if he
refuses to consent to a transfer.
[31]
The
Minister’s role is to weigh the factors identified in section 10 of the ITOA
together with any other factors that he may deem to be relevant in a given case.
The Minister must then provide reasons for his decision that conform to the Dunsmuir
standard of justification, transparency and intelligibility.
[32]
The
reviewing Court’s role is to determine whether the Minister considered the
relevant facts and the factors set out in the legislation, and whether he
reached a defensible conclusion as to whether a given transfer meets the
objectives of the Act: Divito, (FCA), at para. 70, Justice
Mainville, concurring. If the reasons address the relevant considerations, it
is not for this Court to second-guess the weight attributed to the various
factors by the Minister: Holmes, at paras 38-39, 61-63.
[33]
In
cases where a ministerial decision has a profound impact on an individual, that
individual must be informed as to why the Minister reached a particular result,
even though the Minister is vested with a broad discretion. That said, the duty
to give reasons in this context does not necessarily “require the full
analytical force of a Supreme Court of Canada judgment”: Holmes at para.
42.
[34]
Where,
as here, the Minister’s decision is of considerable importance to both Mr. Del
Vecchio and to society, in terms of administration of justice, rehabilitation
and reintegration, “the substantive purpose and the ‘justification,
transparency and intelligibility’ purposes are particularly important”: Holmes,
at para. 44.
[35]
One
of the principal arguments advanced by Mr. Del Vecchio in support of his
transfer request was that transfers had been approved for two of his
accomplices, both of whom, he says, played more important roles than he did in
the criminal conspiracy. Mr. Del Vecchio relies on the decision in Grant v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), [2010] F.C.J. No. 386
[Grant #1] in support of his contention that the approval of the transfer
of his accomplices was a relevant consideration. As is the case here, the
briefing memo in Grant #1 referred to treatment of the applicant’s
co-accused, but the issue was not addressed in the Minister’s decision.
[36]
Justice
Barnes stated at paragraph 6 of his Order in Grant #1 that:
There are many questions left unanswered
by the Minister's decision ... A reasonable decision would also explain, at
least in general terms, why Mr. Grant's two female accomplices were accepted
for transfer by the Minister notwithstanding their apparently equivalent
culpability. In the absence of such an explanation, the Minister's decision in
the case of Mr. Grant looks inconsistent and arbitrary and, therefore, it lacks
transparency. There may well be a valid explanation for this differential
treatment that is not gender-based, but Mr. Grant should not be left guessing
about it. Although Ms. Lawrence appropriately raised the issue of privacy, it
is worth noting that personal information concerning these other individuals is
contained in the record before the Court and it should not be difficult to
provide a justification that does not breach a privacy interest…
[37]
The
same point may be made here, although it cannot even be said in this case that
Mr. Del Vecchio and his accomplices shared “apparently equivalent
culpability”.
[38]
The
information provided to the Minister by Mr. Del Vecchio showed that two of his
accomplices were part of a crime family that had been the subject of a 10-year
RCMP investigation. The transcript from Mr. Del Vecchio’s sentencing hearing
reveals that the alleged “kingpin” of the conspiracy was involved in purchasing
120 kilograms of cocaine (Applicant’s Record, at page 112), whereas Mr. Del
Vecchio was convicted of trafficking in 30 kilograms of the same drug.
Nevertheless, the transfer of Mr. Del Vecchio’s accomplices (including the
female “kingpin”) was approved, and Mr. Del Vecchio’s transfer was refused.
[39]
Despite
the fact that Mr. Del Vecchio specifically relied on the treatment accorded to
his accomplices in support of his transfer request, the Minister’s decision
makes no reference to these individuals.
[40]
The
Minister argues that he had no duty to address this submission, as each
transfer request is considered on its own merits, and the treatment accorded to
third parties is not a relevant consideration in an application under the ITOA.
In support of this contention, the Minister relies on the decisions of this
Court in Grant #2, Tippett, and Dudas v Canada
(Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2010 FC 942, [2010]
F.C.J. No. 1153.
[41]
It
appears from a review of Justice Near’s reasons in Grant #2 that the
argument before him was that the treatment accorded to Mr. Grant’s co-accused
created a legitimate expectation that his transfer request would be approved.
In this context, Justice Near quite properly observed that:
As an anecdote, the fact that two of Mr.
Grant's co-accused transfer requests have been approved may be compelling, but
as a matter of law, the doctrine of legitimate expectations is limited to
procedural fairness. In Mount Sinai Hospital v. Quebec (Minister of Health and Social Services), [2001] 2 S.C.R. 281, 200
D.L.R. (4th) 193, Justice Ian Binnie affirms that the doctrine of legitimate
expectation is limited to procedural relief. [at para. 48]
[42]
Justice
Near went on to note that there was no information in the record in Grant #2
as to either the conditions the faced by the co-accused in Costa Rican prisons,
or their personal circumstances. He concluded that, in those circumstances,
it was not reasonable to expect the Minister to refer to these factors as a
justification for the outcome of Mr. Grant’s application.
[43]
In
Dudas, Justice O'Keefe held that the Minister may lawfully come to his
own conclusion in exercising his discretion as to whether to grant a transfer
under the ITOA. Justice O'Keefe noted that “[t]he fact that a Minister
has come to a given conclusion before, does not prevent that same Minister or a
different Minister from lawfully changing his or her mind if faced with the
same set of facts at a later date.” While this is undoubtedly true, I do not
read Dudas to say that information as to the treatment accorded to
accomplices could never be relevant in considering a transfer request.
[44]
In
Tippett, Justice Russell specifically examined the differences between
Mr. Tippett’s circumstances and those of his accomplice, Mr. Curtis, observing
at paragraph 92 of his reasons that there were “evidentiary facts that
suggested Mr. Curtis’ case was very different from the Applicant’s case.
[45]
This
observation led Justice Russell to conclude that:
[N]o explanation was required on the
facts of this case because, even on its face, the situation of Mr. Curtis
was very different from that of the Applicant. As Justice O'Keefe pointed out
in Curtis, above, at paragraph 16, the evidence related to Mr. Curtis
gave rise to separate considerations that were highly material to the two
cases. [at para. 93, emphasis added]
[46]
As
was the case in Dudas, Justice Russell did not say that information as
to the treatment accorded to accomplices could never be relevant in considering
a transfer request.
[47]
It
is clear that the onus is on the applicant to bring forward relevant
information he or she wants the Minister to consider. It is also clear that each
transfer request must be determined by the Minister individually on its merits,
based upon the evidentiary record before him Tippett at para. 72 and 96.
[48]
Mr.
Del Vecchio acknowledges that the favourable treatment given to his
co-conspirators in this case would not be determinative of the outcome of his
applications, just as the refusal of a transfer request made by an accomplice would
not be determinative of a different offender’s transfer request. Nevertheless, I
am of the view that there may be cases, such as the present one, where specific
information is put before the Minister with respect to the relative culpability
of accomplices or co-accused which requires the Minister to at least address
the issue and to determine what, if any, weight should be given to the
information before him.
[49]
It
may be open to the Minister to examine the information provided and to find
that the information before him was not sufficient to allow him to make a
meaningful assessment of the appropriateness of relative treatment as between
offenders, or that it was unreliable. It would also be open to the Minister to
decide that there were material differences between cases, such as the fact
that, in this case, the alleged kingpin and the other accomplice pleaded
guilty, whereas Mr. Del Vecchio went to trial.
[50]
There
may also be cases where privacy considerations limit the Minister’s ability to
explain the reasons for differential treatment, especially where health or other
personal circumstances favoured the transfer of another offender. However, the
Minister’s complete silence on the question of relative treatment in this case
appears, to quote Justice Barnes, “inconsistent and arbitrary”, with the result
that the decision therefore lacks the transparency required of a reasonable
decision: Grant #1, at para. 6.
Mr. Del Vecchio’s Future
Participation in Organized Crime
[51]
One
of the factors that the Minister is required to consider in assessing a
transfer request is that identified in paragraph 10(2)(a) of the ITOA.
That is, the Minister is required to consider, amongst other things, whether
the offender will, after the transfer, commit a criminal organization offence
within the meaning of section 2 of the Criminal Code.
[52]
The
CSC memorandum refers to Mr. Del Vecchio’s past ties to organized crime, but is
silent on the question of whether he would commit a criminal organization
offence in the future. The CSC memo did indicate that the overall likelihood of
Mr. Del Vecchio re-offending was low. As noted earlier, the Minister made no express
finding on this point. In addressing whether Mr. Del Vecchio will, after the
transfer, commit a criminal organization offence, the Minister simply provided
a detailed description of the nature of his past offense.
[53]
It
is clear from the wording of paragraph 10(2)(a) of the ITOA that Parliament
did not contemplate a blanket ban on the transfer of individuals convicted of
criminal organization offences. Moreover, the Minister’s analysis must be
forward-looking. Consequently, there must be a meaningful examination of both the
offender’s past involvement with organized crime and the ongoing ties of the
individual to criminal organizations.
[54]
The
question is thus whether there was sufficient evidence before the Minister so
as to allow him to make a good faith finding that Mr. Del Vecchio presented a
significant risk of committing a criminal organization offense once transferred
to Canada: see Grant
#2, at para. 38 and Duarte, at para. 21.
[55]
While
no one is able to predict the future with any degree of certainty, the evidence
and analysis in this case is lacking.
[56]
The
Minister’s reasons state that “at the time of the offence, [in 2000] Mr. Del
Vecchio was linked to a criminal organization within Canada”. This is
true. However, no consideration appears to have been given to whether, some 10
years later, this was still the case.
[57]
Mr.
Del Vecchio denies having any ongoing ties with organized crime, stating in his
submissions that he wanted nothing more to do with such groups, as they had
ruined his life. Moreover, counsel for the respondent conceded that there was no
evidence in the record to suggest that Mr. Del Vecchio had maintained any
connections with organized crime after his arrest in 2000.
[58]
In
other cases, evidence of ongoing ties to criminal organizations was present
(see, for example, Dudas, at para. 6, and Tippett, at para. 105).
Similarly, in Grant #2, there was no evidence before the Minister that
any ties the applicant might have had with his co-conspirators had been severed.
That is not, however, the situation here.
[59]
There
may also be cases where an offender’s relationship to a member of a crime family
may support a finding that the offender will, after the transfer, commit a
criminal organization offence: see, for example, Divito FC at paras. 21 to
24. Once again, there is no suggestion that Mr. Del Vecchio is related to a
member of a criminal organization.
[60]
There
is no question that international drug trafficking constitutes “a very serious
crime that one could reasonably conclude required financing, planning and other
logistics often associated with organized crime”: Grant #2¸at para. 54.
[61]
Moreover,
as the Federal Court of Appeal observed at paragraph 56 of Divito FCA,
it is not irrational for Parliament to empower the Minister to refuse the transfer
of an international drug cartel kingpin if it is reasonable to believe that
such a transfer would result in attacks on Canadian prison guards or would
facilitate the criminal operations of that offender or of his criminal
organization. There was, however, no evidence of this nature before the
Minister in this case.
[62]
The
Federal Court of Appeal recognized at paragraph 57 of Divito FCA that
not all individuals convicted of offences related to organized crime will pose
a threat to Canada or to Canadians should they serve their foreign sentences in
Canada. Moreover,
many cases will fall between these two extremes. According to the Federal Court
of Appeal “[t]his is precisely why Parliament has empowered the Minister to
decide each individual case on its particular facts, taking into account
pertinent circumstances and prescribed factors”.
[63]
The
Minister must, however, have regard to the evidence before him in deciding
whether or not to exercise the discretion vested in him by the ITOA. He
must also explain his reasoning in coming to the conclusion that a transfer is
not warranted in a given case. He did not do so here.
[64]
What
occurred in this case is akin to the situation facing the Court in Downey v Canada (Minister of
Public Safety), [2011] F.C.J. No. 139, where Justice Phelan observed that:
9. … [I]t is difficult, if not
impossible, to discern what the true basis of the Minister's decision is. The
Minister ‘notes’ a number of facts but does not tie these notations into
relevant conclusions. The description of the crime and its possible impact on
society tells one nothing about why a transfer to a Canadian prison is not
warranted. This decision lacks logical reasons and does not adhere to the Dunsmuir
v. New
Brunswick,
2008 SCC 9, principles of transparency, intelligibility and acceptability.
10. The best that the Court can
divine from this recitation of facts is that the Minister believed … that Downey might commit a criminal
organization offence because of his involvement with others, his criminal record
and the nature of the offence. Neither the Applicant nor the Court should be
forced to speculate on the Minister's reasons to give them some legitimacy.
[65]
The
same may be said here.
Conclusion
[66]
For
these reasons, Mr. Del Vecchio’s application for judicial review is allowed.
His application for transfer is remitted to the Minister for reconsideration.
[67]
Following
the process followed in Grant #1, Mr. Del Vecchio shall have 15 days to
file any updated submissions that he wishes to have the Minister consider in
relation to his application for transfer. The Minister shall provide Mr. Del
Vecchio with a new decision within 60 days of the date of this decision.
JUDGMENT
THIS COURT ADJUDGES
that:
1. The
application is allowed and the Minister's decision is set aside;
2. Mr.
Del Vecchio shall have 15 days to file any updated submissions that he wishes
to have the Minister consider in relation to his application for transfer; and
3. The
Minister shall provide a new decision with respect to Mr. Del Vecchio’s
application for transfer within 60 days of the date of this decision.
“Anne
Mactavish”