MP Jason Kenney said Monday he doesn't know how long it will take to get Brenda Martin back to Canada, but he's optimistic it will be soon.
Kenney, Canada's secretary of state for multiculturalism, went to Mexico on Friday to expedite Martin's prison transfer to Canada. Martin, who is a Canadian citizen, was convicted of money laundering in Mexico on Tuesday in connection to her former boss' Internet fraud scheme.
"We're optimistic we'll get her back to Canada in short order," Kenney said Monday on CTV's Canada AM, adding, "It would be irresponsible for me to put a precise timeframe on it."
Martin was sentenced to five years in jail, the minimum sentence. She had already served more than two years by the time she was convicted.
Kenney said the next step is having Correctional Services Canada make an assessment of what an equivalent Canadian sentence might be.
In Canada, time served before conviction can be counted as double when a prisoner is applying for parole. A federal prisoner is eligible to apply for day parole after serving one-sixth of her sentence and full parole after serving one-third.
"She's probably immediately eligible to apply for parole," Kenney said.
During a recent interview, Martin said she was afraid she would be forced to wear handcuffs during her transfer home. Kenney said he did not know whether that would be the case, saying he was just focused on assuring her speedy return.
"Let's put it this way: she'll be a lot better off in Canada than where she is now," Kenney said.
