Heather Wright/The Independent

Joel Campbell is hopeful a private members bill limiting when offenders can re-apply for parole will help the victims of crime.

Edmonton-Griesbach MP Kerry Diotte has introduced the bill which would stop people convicted of first or second degree murder from re-apply for parole yearly. Instead, Diotte wants them to apply once every five years.

The MP says the yearly applications cause “significant trauma and harm” to the victims’ families.

In the last past three years, Campbell and his siblings, Alica and Brent have fought to stop their father from receiving day parole at three different hearings. Donald Wayne Campbell killed their mother, Fenny, 27 years ago and still denies he did it, despite his first degree murder conviction.

Earlier this year, he was granted three, 72-hour unescorted leaves in a year after a parole board hearing conducted on paper.

Joel Campbell says the process is draining. “Every time you’re preparing for this – whether it’s revising your victim impact statement with updates, whether it’s going over it – like you try to read it a few times to make sure you’re staying within a reasonable length all of it – it’s like bringing it back to life. 

“It’s like reliving it. There’s emotional pain that goes with that,” Campbell says. 

While he had not read the full private members bill, Campbell believes there is merit in making someone wait longer to ask for parole or day passes after being first denied.

 “For the benefit of the victims, I believe, that five years is fair,” he says.

Campbell says the offender may benefit as well because “real change doesn’t happen just like that. And if there’s one or more issues where the parole board is saying ’you haven’t changed, you need to change further in this, or grow in this’ five years is a much more meaningful period of time to allow for that change.

“For the board, it also gives a bigger window of evidence to see, has there been real change in this offender since the last time we told them, ‘No, you’re not ready for this stage.’”

Campbell says his family had to go through “multiple hearings in a very tight period of time” where there was no real change in his father. “And it was very hard to process.”

And while Campbell likes the suggestion of longer gaps between parole requests, he’d also like to see an end to parole hearings in writing. After two failed attempts to receive unescorted leaves, the parole board held a hearing in writing for Donald Campbell’s third hearing. He was granted the leaves even though there were still concerns he had not admitted he killed his wife.

Joel Campbell believes the parole was turned down the first time because the parole board could see his reaction to specific questions.

“Things were said that made it very clear of the problems that still existed, and, the extent to which there wasn’t meaningful change,” during the video conference.

Campbell is hopeful the bill will gain traction.

“It is good to see like we actually have politicians. They’re considering the views of victims in this. And I’m hoping that this won’t be a partisan issue and that it’s something that members of other parties can get on board with too.”