Widow of slain Mountie makes plea for Wynn's Law

The widow of murdered St. Albert RCMP Const. David Wynn vowed Friday to "fight a lifetime" to see a bail-reform bill become law.

"I will fight a lifetime for this to pass if I have to," Shelly MacInnis-Wynn told a news conference organized by St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper.

Cooper has launched an online petition that Canadians can sign if they want to see Bill S-217 become law. The Liberal government has said it won't support the bill.

"I was very disappointed when I learned that the Liberals were not going to support this," MacInnis-Wynntold the news conference, which was held in St. Albert.

"This is just common-sense legislation. I have received hundreds of letters from people across the country that are in support of this bill."

The bill "would be important for Dave," she added. "He absolutely loved his job and he worked hard every day to make sure the people in St. Albert were safe."

Wynn died in hospital on Jan. 21, 2015, four days after he was shot in the head while responding to a stolen-vehicle call at the Apex Casino in St. Albert.

His killer, a career criminal named Shawn Rehn, was out on bail at the time.

Rehn, who killed himself hours after he shot Wynn, had been convicted of 68 criminal offences. At the time of shooting, he faced 27 outstanding charges, including one count of failing to comply with a court-ordered weapons prohibition.

Bill S-217would expandthe grounds courts consider when deciding whether or not an accused should be granted bail by specifically including consideration of criminal records and outstanding charges.

This week Cooper launched a petition titled Wynn's Law Now for Canadians who want to see Bill S-217 become law. He said in the previous 24 to 36 hours, "several hundred" people have signed. Cooper plans to table the petition in the House of Commons.

He said he will continue to lobby Liberal MPs, including Edmonton MPs Randy Boissonnault and Amarjeet Sohi, but he said it would be "very difficult" to see the legislation passed without the full support of the Liberals.

"What we need to really do is convince the government to change its position," Cooper said.

Bill S-217 was introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Ontario Senator Bob Runciman. It passed the Senate last month with the support of Liberal and Conservative senators, but during second reading Nov. 29 in Ottawa, the Liberal government said it will oppose the bill, in part because the measures could lead to adjournments and hearings taking longer.

'Fatal loophole' needs closing

Cooper maintained there's a need to close the "fatal loophole in the Criminal Code" that led to Wynn's death.

"I know that it can't be easy for Shelly to be here today but Shelly has demonstrated tremendous strength and courage in fighting to change the law so that what happened to her husband never happens again," Cooper told the news conference.

"What happened to Const. Wynn is an outrage. His death was completely preventable.

"Const Wynn's killer should never have been out on the streets, out on bail, given his extensive criminal history. And the reason Const. Wynn's killer was out on bail was because that criminal history was not disclosed at the bail application hearing."

Shelly MacInnis-Wynn said that while it has been nearly two years since her husband died, she still wakes up in the mornings expecting him to walk in the door.