►
From YouTube: APRIL 26 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
that
was
anticipatory
on
your
part
for
months.
The
opposition
has
raised
concerns
about
prolific
offenders
who
commit
serious
crimes
and
yet
are
not
charged
or
who
are
immediately
released
and
allowed
to
reoffend,
while
waiting
for
the
pro
waiting
for
the
province
to
approve
charges.
C
C
The
attorney
received
a
letter
on
april
the
5th
from
13
urban
mayors
in
the
province,
and
it
contains
very
specific
and
detailed
offense
data
detailing
the
attorney's
catch
and
release
policies.
The
letter
reads
in
part-
and
I
quote,
serious
repeat:
offenders
posing
ongoing
risk
to
public
safety
are
walking
freely
in
our
communities
while
awaiting
charge
approvals.
D
General,
thank
you
very
much
honorable
speaker.
Obviously,
I'm
familiar
with
the
letter
the
member
refers
to.
She
leaves
out
some
key
details.
I
met
with
the
urban
mayor's
council
on
december
17th.
They
raised
issues
similar
to
those
raised
by
the
opposition
some
time
after
and
I
said
to
them.
Thank
you
for
bringing
this
information
to
our
attention.
Can
you
provide
additional
details
about
what's
happening
in
your
communities,
so
they
wrote
back
to
me.
We
value
the
opportunity
to
connect
for
ongoing
dialogue
and
look
forward
to
the
next
opportunity.
D
We
met
again
on
april
8th
and
it
says
at
the
attorney
general's
request.
We
are
providing
criminal
offense
data
from
our
cities,
so
I
asked
the
mayors:
we've
been
engaging
in
dialogue
since
december
on
this
issue,
I'm
working
with
them
on
a
response,
and
I
just
want
to
provide
a
little
bit
of
context
for
the
members
question.
I
think
any
time
that
someone
is
a
victim
of
crime,
whether
it's
property
crime
or
violent
crime,
it's
a
really
serious
and
profound
impact
on
them
and
their
feelings
of
safety.
D
D
So
I
I
don't
dispute
that
the
pandemic
has
dramatically
changed.
Prime
patterns,
that
we
see
this
concentrated
in
downtown
areas
where
people
have
not
been,
and
it's
moved
away
from
residential
areas,
apparently
because
we're
seeing
a
very
low
number
of
offenses,
but
the
issues
are
more
complicated
than
the
member
represents,
and
we
need
to
do
the
work
to
identify
what
is
happening
and
to
respond
accordingly.
C
Thank
you
very
much,
and
we
should
talk
about
what
details
were
left
out
of
the
attorney's
answer.
When
I
raised
the
issue
of
this
letter
because
he
can
conveniently
dismiss
the
concerns
that
people
have
across
british
columbia,
but
he
knows
full
well
that
across
this
province
every
single
day
there
are
acts
of
violence.
C
Let's
look
at
at
the
details
under
this
attorney's
watch
the
time
it
takes
for
the
province
to
review
police
files,
since
2017
has
increased
by
a
hundred
and
eighteen
percent.
The
number
of
charge
assessments
that
that
that
are
looked
at
has
increased
by
75
no
charge.
Assessments
has
increased
by
75
percent
and
since
2017
the
number
of
accused
approved
to
go
to
court
has
dropped
by
26.
C
Not
my
words,
not
my
statistics:
the
concerns
of
13
mayors
across
british
columbia,
written
to
this
attorney
in
prince
george
one
individual
has
generated
262
police
files
in
just
the
past
12
months.
None
of
the
files,
not
one,
has
resulted
in
a
charge.
So
when
will
the
attorney
general
look
at
the
statistics
under
his
watch?
Do
his
job
and
actually
take
some
action
to
deal
with
prolific
offenders.
D
I
think
the
member
for
the
question
I
she
insists
repeatedly,
despite
my
extensive
answers
on
this
question,
that
I
dismiss
this
as
not
a
serious
issue
that
is
completely
incorrect.
She
knows
it's
incorrect
and-
and
I
can
assure
her
every
member
of
the
opposition,
the
members
of
the
public,
watching
the
minister
of
public
safety
and
I
are
working
with
these
mayors-
we'll
have
more
details
in
the
weeks
to
come
to
address
this
issue.
D
But
the
member
also
knows
that
a
lot
of
these
offenses
are
driven
by
people
with
serious
mental
health
and
addiction
issues
and
there's
a
very
close
relationship
between
prolific
property
crime
and
these
kinds
of
serious
health
problems.
And
that's
why
the
complex
care
initiative
that
we
are
rolling
out
across
the
province
is
going
to
make
a
huge
difference
for
public
safety,
a
number
of
communities.
But
that
is
not
the
full
response.
D
We
need
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
what
is
happening
here
and
and
I'll
provide
some
more
statistics
for
the
member
about
the
complexity
of
what
is
happening
so
in
in
2011
and
2012.
D
Violent
crime
incidents
were
cleared
by
police
at
a
rate
of
55,
which
means
that
there
were
recommendations
to
crown
for
charges
in
2020.
That
number
had
dropped
quite
steadily
over
the
years
to
the
point
where
it's
43
of
charges
being
cleared
by
police.
So
obviously
something
is
happening
that
in
relation
to
police,
recommending
charges
to
ground
council,
I
agree
with
the
member
that
we
can
look
at
what
crown
council
is
doing
and
make
sure
it's
responsive
to
the
needs
of
the
public.
D
E
Oh,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
think
all
members
of
the
house
acknowledge
and
hear
from
all
our
constituents
that
members
in
british
columbians
are
feeling
very
concerned
about
feeling
safe
on
our
streets
and
in
our
neighborhoods
the
statistics
that
the
attorney
general
requested
from
the
13
urban
mayors
he
has
to
respect.
E
E
E
D
General
thank
you
honorable
chair,
so
the
member
comes
to
this
place
from
vancouver
property
crime
in
vancouver,
and
overall
crime
rates
are
at
their
lowest
level
in
vancouver
since
2002,
in
both
the
total
numbers
of
crimes
and
as
a
crime
rate
per
1000
members
of
the
population.
D
Now
I
know
that
what
crime
has
been
taking
place
has
been
very
concentrated,
very
visible,
but
particularly
in
the
downtown
areas
and
very
concerning
to
merchants.
I
know
in
the
chinatown
area
in
downtown
vancouver,
and
these
are
serious
issues,
but
there
has
been
a
shift
during
the
pandemic
about
how
and
where
crime
takes
place,
and
there
has
been
an
increase
in
violent
crime.
D
The
solicitor
general
also
addressed
issues
with
vancouver
police
budget
to
make
sure
they
have
the
resources
they
need
to
deal
with
this
and
I'll
remind
the
member.
I
know
he
knows
because
he's
a
lawyer
that
we
have
had
significant
changes
in
the
law
related
to
administration
of
justice
offenses
over
this
time
period
that
I've
been
attorney
general.
He
came
from
the
supreme
court
of
canada
and
bill
c-75
out
of
the
federal
government
which
changes,
crown's
approval
processes
around
administration
of
justice
offenses.
It's
the
law
of
canada
and
the
crown
is
bound
to
adhere
to
that.
E
E
The
attorney
general
can
deflect
all
he
wants,
but
that's
not
going
to
give
answers
to
these
13
urban
mayors.
They
have
set
out
a
roadmap
of
solutions
that
this
earning
attorney
general
needs
to
take
action
on
the
attorney
general's
failed
policies
are
eroding
confidence
in
the
administration
of
our
justice
system.
He
has
failed
at
his
primary
duty.
E
This
is
what
the
mayors
of
13
urban
cities
across
bc
wrote
in
their
april
5th
letter
quote:
provike
offenders
eroding
the
sense
of
public
safety
and
trust
in
the
justice
system
by
residents.
In
all
our
communities.
End
quote:
there
is
no
accountability
or
meaningful
consequences
for
random
attacks,
random
assaults,
rampant
shoplifting
and
violence.
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you
honorable
speaker,
so
the
member
knows
I
know
he
knows
because
he
repeated
it
back
that
we
met
with
the
urban
mayors.
We
heard
from
them
their
concerns.
We
asked
them
for
additional
detail
and
information
about
what
was
happening
in
their
communities
and
now
we're
working
with
them
on
solutions.
F
F
F
G
G
We
do
from
time
to
time
support
people
who
are
ready
for
discharge,
but
there
are
very
challenges
in
either
their
homes
or
other
circumstances
that
make
it
challenging
for
them
to
be
discharged.
So
what
was
the
memo
was
saying
was
if
they're
people
ready
to
be
discharged,
let's
take
every
means
to
support
them
in
that
discharge.
That's
what
the
purpose
of
the
memo
for
it
wouldn't
make
any
sense
to
take
acute
care
patients
to
put
them
in
hotel
rooms.
That's
not
what
we've
done.
F
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker.
This
is
fundamentally
a
transparency
issue.
In
her
article
brushdivashi
wrote
quote
since
the
province
stopped,
sharing
daily
covert,
19
hospitalization
data
and
pulled
back
on
how
much
information
they
share.
It
is
impossible
to
figure
out
how
the
virus
is
affecting
hospitalized
asians
in
real
time,
and
so
we
find
out
from
the
press
not
from
the
government.
F
G
Minister
of
health,
thank
you
and
honorable
speaker,
and
the
answer
is
yes,
and
the
answer
is
yes,
we
do
on
a
regular
on
a
regular
basis,
including
detailed
information,
much
about
covet
19
in
our
hospital,
but
the
state
of
hospital
capacity
and
every
part
of
dc
which
I've
been
reporting
on,
including
to
the
honorable
member
for
more
than
two
years.
But
yes,
transparency
is
important
and
transparency
is
important,
to
this
extent,
to
say
when
you're
describing
a
situation
and
a
memorandum
to
say
an
important
sentence.
G
Please
let
your
coordinator
know
if
you
have
any
patience
requiring
extraordinary
measures
to
facilitate
discharges
from
hospital
and
then
listing
the
measures
that
include
potentially
providing
a
hotel
room
if
they're
not
able
to
go
home
under
appropriate
circumstances.
This
is
something
that
occurs
on
a
regular
basis
to
support
discharges
and,
and
so
the
member's
initial
assertions
in
her
question
are
not
correct.
It
is
important
to
have
transparency.
G
It
is
very
important
to
have
transparency
and
to
provide
a
proper
assessment
of
the
circumstances
in
our
public
health
care
system.
Today,
these
measures
of
dealing
with
capacity
in
our
health
care
system
we've
been
taking
them
for
two
years.
Members
will
recall
in
the
third
week
in
march
of
2020
the
decision
very
difficult
decision
at
that
time
to
cancel
non-uh
non-urgent
scheduled
surgeries.
That
was
indeed
to
ensure
that
there
was
space
in
our
hospital
so
that
people
could
come
and
get
the
care
they
need.
That
is
what's
happening,
then.
G
H
H
Page
2
actually
describes
how
one
offender
in
kelowna
has
generated
346
rcmp
files
and
received
29
convictions
for
theft
and
assault,
but
is
routinely
released
with
conditions,
but
subsequently
re-offends
in
my
community
15
prolific
offenders
are
responsible.
Forget
this
over
a
thousand
negative
police
contacts.
H
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you
honorable
speaker,
so
when
somebody
goes
to
court,
the
member
talks
about
29
separate
charges.
The
decision
about
whether
or
not
that
person
goes
to
jail
is
made
by
a
judge
who
is
independent
of
government
independent
of
me,
as
attorney
general.
I
know
the
member
knows
that
that
doesn't
take
away
from
the
challenge
that
she
illustrates
or
suggests
that
the
province
or
the
government
doesn't
have
any
opportunity
to
address
this
serious
issue.
That's
why
we're
working
with
the
mayors
on
this
issue?
D
That's
why
we
have
complex
care
to
address
the
mental
health
and
addiction
issues
that
drive
some
people
to
be
involved
again
and
again
in
the
justice
system
in
a
rotating
door
system,
and
so
I
believe
that
there
are
other
opportunities
for
us
to
address
these
issues.
D
But
it's
not
going
to
change
the
state
of
the
federal
law.
It's
not
going
to
be
able
to
force
judges
to
send
people
to
jail.
They're
not
going
to
do
that.
Then.
The
next
steps
for
us
as
a
province
within
our
jurisdictional
authorities
is
to
work
with
the
municipalities
to
identify
those
opportunities,
and-
and
I
know
this
isn't
a
unique
issue.
D
I
know
when
the
opposition
was
on
this
side
of
the
house,
that
they
had
a
pilot
project
on
on
chronic
offenders
as
well,
and
so
this
is
an
issue
that,
as
a
province,
we
need
to
address,
and
I
look
forward
to
working
with
the
cities
and,
frankly,
any
suggestions
from
the
opposition
about
about
moving
forward.
I
assure
the
member
that
we'll
have
more
to
say
about
this
in
the
weeks
to
come.
I
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
In
the
april
fifth
letter
from
the
mayors
provides
example
after
example,
after
example,
in
my
community
of
abbotsford,
people
no
longer
feel
safe
and
here's
a
prime
example
is
why
there
was
a
criminal
with
outstanding
warrants
was
recently
arrested
for
the
second
time
within
weeks
he
has
been
charged
with
serious
crimes,
including
theft
of
a
motor
vehicle
robbery,
assault,
assault
with
weapons,
resist
and
obstruction
of
a
police
officer.
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you.
Honorable
speaker,
the
courts
apply
a
federal
law
bill,
c-75,
which
dramatically
changed
the
approach
to
administrative
offenses,
which
is
breach
of
conditions,
and
there
was
also
a
supreme
court
decision
which
the
courts
also
apply
called
zora,
and
so
we're
working
within
that
federal
framework
and
the
member
intentionally
conflates
those
things
with
what
the
province
can
do.
D
But
that
doesn't
mean
the
province
doesn't
have
responsibility
or
opportunity
here
to
address
these
issues.
The
crown
will
bring
the
cases
forward
to
court
and
they
will
apply
the
federal
law.
But
when
we're
talking
about
the
decision
to
release
somebody
back
to
the
community
by
a
judge,
that
decision
is
taken
by
the
judge-
and
I
I'm
not
sure
what
else
I
can
tell
the
member
about
that.
It's
obviously
a
disturbing
case,
and
we
have
a
huge
opportunity.
D
I
think
in
terms
of
prolific
offenders
to
drive
property
crime
numbers
down
and
I
think
complex
care
and
addressing
mental
health
and
addiction
needs
of
some
folks
is
really
going
to
help
that
and
for
others
we'll
continue
working
with
police
and
crown,
as
we
have
been
since
the
mayor's
raised.
This
issue
with
us.
I
I
Generals
across
canada
have
always
adjusted
how
prosecutors
do
their
job,
how
police
do
their
job
in
order
to
comply
with
the
changes
to
the
legislation
to
the
and
that
the
courts
lay
out
three
weeks
ago,
in
prince
george,
a
prolific
offender
in
a
stolen
vehicle
rammed
a
police
vehicle
while
trying
to
avoid
arrest
the
time
he
was
wanted
on
an
outstanding
warrant
had
been
arrested
and
released
numerous
times
over
the
past
two
years.
I
At
the
time
of
this
most
recent
arrest,
he
was
in
possession
of
body
armor
a
prohibited
high
caliber
rifle
with
a
high
capacity
magazine,
loaded
and
ready
to
fire.
He
resisted
arrest
with
police.
Will
the
attorney
act
now
to
protect
the
public
and
the
police
from
prolific
offenders
and
restore
faith
in
our
justice
system?.
D
I
thank
the
member
for
the
question
and,
and
the
member
says
that
I
rely
on
the
law
and
court
decisions.
That's
my
job,
as
attorney
general,
to
do
those
things
and
it's
not
an
excuse.
I
think
the
province
has
an
opportunity
here
to
assist
in
addressing
these
issues,
but
it
is
a
fact
and
a
factor
in
the
challenge
that
we
face
here.
D
I
agree
with
the
member
that
attorneys
general
need
to
work
within
that
framework
and
be
creative
within
that
framework,
which
is
why
we're
working
with
the
minister
for
public
safety
with
the
mayors
on
exactly
this
issue.
I
disagree
with
the
member
that
the
statistics
show
that
things
are
getting
worse
and
worse.
In
fact,
in
the
most
recent
year
we
have
data,
for
the
overall
number
of
offenses
is
at
the
lowest
level.
D
D
Finally,
I
know
the
member
is
aware
that
when
we
formed
government
we
increased
authorities
under
the
civil
forfeiture
act
that
enables
the
province
to
seize
property,
to
make
presumptions
when
there's
a
firearm
in
a
vehicle,
when
there's
body
armor
in
a
vehicle
to
seize
that
vehicle
to
seize
that
property,
which
were
not
authorities
that
police
had
when
the
opposition
was
on
this
side
of
the
house.
So
within
provincial
authorities.
We
are
acting
creatively
to
address
these
issues
and
we
will
continue
to
work
with
the
mayors
to
do
those
things.
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
This
attorney
general
continues
to
say
we're
working
on
things
we're
in
conversations
we're
discussing,
but
this
government
needs
to
take
it
from
that
place
to
actually
implementation
and
taking
actions.
A
We
need
to
go
back
to
the
basics.
People
are
scared
in
their
own
communities,
they're
scared
of
going
out
in
the
evenings.
They
don't
know,
what's
going
to
happen,
they're
they're
scared,
and
that
is
what
the
reality
is
in
british
columbia.
Communities
across
this
province
are
experiencing
more
violent
and
random
assaults.
A
One
such
offender
in
victoria
generated
55
charges
that
were
submitted
to
the
prosecution
service
of
those
charges.
Only
22
convictions
were
received,
23
were
stayed
and
eight
of
those
charges
were
not
approved.
These
were
for
serious
charges,
including
assault.
So
where
is
the?
Why
is
the
attorney
general
letting
these
offenders
be
continually
released
without
consequences?
And
how
are
you
going
to
make
british
columbians
feel
safe
in
their
own
communities?.
D
D
Clearly
mental
health
and
addiction
issues
are
playing
an
outsized
role
in
relation
to
prolific
offenders,
honorable
speaker,
and
we
think
that
addressing
those
issues
through
proactive
mental
health
services
is
going
to
make
a
significant
difference
in
community.
We
also
know
that
one
of
the
reasons
people
feel
unsafe
is
in
their
downtown
areas
where
foot
traffic
is
way
down.
Mental
health
and
addiction,
people
suffering
in
public
talking
to
themselves.
D
Shouting
shouting
at
passers-by
creates
a
feeling
of
a
lack
of
safety
and
addressing
those
mental
health
issues
through
complex
care
is
going
to
make
a
significant
difference.
Those
same
urban
mayors
that
we've
been
working
with
on
this
issue
are
the
mayors
who
are
celebrating
the
rollout
of
complex
care
to
provide
those
base,
support
services
for
folks
to
increase
community
perceptions
of
safety,
and
I
think
it's
going
to
be
really
important
members.
I
know
the
members
are
are
passionate
about
this
issue.
D
J
Member
for
kootenaiste,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
the
the
attorney
general
can
be
as
dismissive
as
he
wants
to
be
on
this
issue.
It's
absolutely
you
know
we're
we're
remembering
from
the
attorney
general
hear
their
questions
real
in
real
time.
Right
now,
and
people
on
this
side
of
the
house
are
fed
up,
our
communities
are
fed
up.
We
want
action
right
now.
The
city
of
cranbrook
is
facing
a
massive
increase
in
issues
of
crime
and
disorder
that
are
hurting
our
people
and
our
local
businesses.
J
I've
been
to
several
town
halls
on
this
already
and
then
there's
more
to
come.
The
people
are
upset
and
deservedly
so.
Assaults
are
up,
13
vehicle
and
bike.
Thefts
are
up,
150
and
commercial.
Break-In
break
and
enters
are
up
two
hundred
and
eighty
percent.
My
community
sincerely
feels
the
attorney
general
isn't
taking
crime
seriously.
When
will
the
attorney
general
actually
act
to
fix
this
problem
and
restore
krambrick's
confidence
in
the
justice
system?
Attorney
general.
D
And
I'll
admit
some
frustration
when
I
can't
knock
members
off
their
script
so
that
we
can
actually
have
that
conversation
in
this
moment.
But
I
do
understand
it's.
It
is
question
period,
so
I
I
am
well
aware
of
the
issues
in
cranbrook.
In
fact
I
met
with
the
mayor
of
cranbrook
personally
and
when
I
read
some
comments
that
he
made
in
the
media
I
reached
out
to
him
and
I
said,
let's
meet
and
talk
it
through.
D
I
met
with
him
and
then
I
wrote
to
cranbrook
city
council
after
that
meeting
with
the
mayor-
and
I
said,
can
I
meet
with
you?
Can
I
hear
about
what's
happening
in
your
community?
Can
we
act
on
those
things?
I'll
acknowledge
some
surprise
that
I
had
to
read
in
the
media
the
concerns
about
cranbrook
when
the
member's
right
there
and
he
could
come
over
any
time,
but
in
any
event
in
in
any
event,.
B
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you.
I
was
happy
to
brief
the
members
of
cranbrook
council
about
complex
care
about
our
3000
supplements
to
get
people
inside
with
wrap
around
supports
to
deal
with
a
very
serious
homeless,
homelessness
issue
that
they're
facing
in
cranbrook,
which
inextricably
with
mental
health
and
addiction
is,
is
tied
to
some
of
the
challenges
that
community
is
facing,
and
I
was
really
glad
to
hear
directly
from
the
mayor
and
council.
D
We
had
a
very
productive
conversation
and
since
then,
members
of
the
public
service,
as
well
as
bc,
housing
staff
have
been
working
with
cranbrook
administrative
staff
to
address
the
issues
in
that
community,
and
I
look
forward
to
frankly
celebrating
some
good
progress
on
those
issues
with
cranbrook
city
council.
As
we
work
through
them.