►
From YouTube: APRIL 5 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Mr
speaker,
last
week
we
were
shocked
to
hear
the
attorney
general
deny
the
problem
of
escalating
random
assaults
and
prolific
offenders,
but
in
community
after
community
across
bc,
we
are
hearing
the
opposite.
Earlier.
This
month,
in
victoria
john
dickinson
was
fatally
stabbed
outside
of
a
bar
by
a
man
already
facing
charges
of
attempted
murder,
assault
with
a
weapon
uttering
death
threats
and
assault,
but
he
was
out
on
bail
because
bc
crown
council
agreed
to
release
among
conditions
that
weren't
followed,
as
john's
sister
says
quote.
C
D
Thank
you,
honorable
chair,
you
know,
I
think
that
any
time
there's
a
horrific,
violent
incident
in
our
communities.
Our
hearts
quote
those
who
are
affected,
whether
the
victim
of
crime
or
their
family,
members
and
friends-
and
I
think
it's
important
for
us
in
this
house
at
the
provincial
level
to
think
about
how
we
can
work
and
prevent
these
kinds
of
things
and
respond
to
them.
D
But
it
does
do
a
disservice
to
the
public
to
fail
to
recognize
some
of
the
important
policy
changes
around
bail
that
have
been
made
by
the
federal
government
to
blame
crown
council
for
implementing
the
federal
law,
as
they
have
to
do,
as
is
their
mandate
as
they
swear
their
oath
to
do,
and
so,
when
a
crown
council
is
faced
with
a
difficult
decision,
as
attorney
general,
I
have
an
opportunity
to
direct
crown
council
to
overrule
them.
I
do
that
very
sparingly.
D
I
know
that
is
the
tradition
in
this
place,
because
I
trust
crown
council
to
evaluate
the
facts
on
a
case-by-case
basis
and
implement
the
federal
law.
Now
the
member
will
know.
As
a
lawyer,
there
have
been
two
big
changes
at
the
federal
level.
One
was
bill
c-75,
which
talked
about
using
a
principle
of
restraint
for
police
and
courts
to
ensure
that
release
at
the
earliest
opportunity
is
favored
over
detention.
It
is
direct
from
the
legislation.
D
There's
a
supreme
court,
canada
decision
called
rv
zora
in
2020
that
reinforced
that,
and
the
court
was
very
clear
that
prosecutors
may
not
use
bail
as
a
way
to
implement
criminal
punishment.
It
must
be
clear
and
it
must
address
the
flight
risk
of
the
individual,
and
so
I'm
glad
the
member
is
raising
this
important
issue.
But
I
regret
very
much
that
he's
blaming
crown
council
for
doing
their
job
of
implementing
the
federal
law.
C
C
C
D
Well,
I
I
heard
about
that
horrific
attack
as
well,
honorable
speaker,
and
certainly
I
know
for
all
my
colleagues
on
this
side.
I
imagine
all
colleagues
from
all
parties
how
how
devastated
we
would
be
if
that
had
been
a
member
of
our
family.
I
think
about
my
own
family,
if
that
had
been,
my
wife
and
child
fills
a
person
with
anger
and
rage,
and
understandably
so,
these
incidents
these
violent
incidents
in
our
community.
D
We
need
to
respond
to
them
as
a
government,
and
we
will
do
so,
but
ultimately,
the
police
will
investigate
the
crown,
will
review
and
apply
the
federal
law
and
an
independent
judge
will
make
a
decision.
The
way
our
system
works,
it
should
work.
I
have
confidence
in
that
system
is
not
a
perfect
system,
but
it
is
the
best
system
we
have
and
we
will
keep
working
to
make
it
better.
Hopefully,
together.
A
A
A
A
B
D
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
Obviously,
the
member
quoted
five
words
from
a
lengthy
answer
that
I
gave
him
about
crown
approval
rates.
I
did
not
deny
that
there
was
an
issue
in
terrorists.
In
fact
I
said
at
the
end
of
my
answer.
I
look
forward
to
working
with
the
member
and
with
the
mayor
and
council
to
address
the
issues
in
tariffs.
That's
exactly
what
I
said
the
member
can
check
answered
and
in
fact
that's
exactly
what
happened
met
with
the
mayor
and
council
from
terrace
met
with
the
minister
for
municipal
affairs.
D
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
you
know
what
people
in
my
community
in
my
riding
feel
like.
Even
if
these
repeat
offenders
are
arrested,
they
will
be
back
on
the
streets
to
cause
more
damage.
More
fear,
as
counselor
sean
bouita
says,
and
I
quote:
we
need
to
prosecute
repeat
offenders.
We
need
to
get
these
prolific
offenders
off
the
streets
of
terrorists
and
have
them
stop
terrorizing
our
municipality
end
quote:
the
meetings
are
great.
The
words
are
great,
the
data
is
great,
but
what
we
need
is
action.
A
A
A
D
D
He
insists
the
opposite
is
true.
I
don't
know
why.
D
What
I
can
say
is
that
there
is
an
issue
even
when
someone
is
sentenced
to
jail
for
shoplifting,
they
will
be
released
and
when
they're
released
again
many
in
many
cases
when
they're
suffering
from
addiction,
mental
health
issues
homeless,
these
issues
will
happen
again
and
in
some
cases
worse,
sometimes
people
go
into
prison.
They
come
out
worse
than
when
they
went
in
and
so
for
a
lot
of
people
to
interrupt
this
cycle.
D
That
makes
businesses
question
why
they're
operating
and
I'm
very
excited
to
work
with
the
minister
for
mental
health
and
addiction
in
addressing
the
core
issue
that
some
of
these
individuals
face,
not
everybody,
but
some
of
these
individuals
that
brings
them
into
contact
with
the
criminal
justice
system,
we're
putting
forward
solutions.
I
invite
the
member
to
be
a
part
of
it.
I
was
very
grateful
for
the
meeting
with
the
mayor
and
council
to
address
those
issues
and
terrorists.
E
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and,
and
I
listen
with
great
interest
to
this
conversation
and
back
and
forth,
because
I
agree
that
access
to
mental
health
care
is
a
significant
issue
and
problem
in
our
province
right
now.
Health
care
workers,
honorable
speaker,
are
on
the
brink
of
collapse.
One-Third
of
health
care
workers,
maintenance,
transportation,
clerical
and
other
workers
are
expected
to
resign
in
the
next
two
years.
According
to
the
hospital
employees,
union,
one-third
of
nurses
are
also
expected
to
resign.
E
Thousands
of
health
care
workers
are
considering
leaving
their
profession
in
part
because
their
workplaces
do
not
provide
mental
health
supports
access
to
counseling
therapy.
Psychologist
is
not
covered
for
many.
The
people
who
we
depend
on
for
care
are
being
left
out
in
the
cold
when
it
comes
to
their
own
mental
health.
E
Mental
health
care
is
treated
as
a
nice
to
have
not
part
of
the
primary
health
care
for
essential
workers
in
this
province
they
are
burnt
out.
They
are
overwhelmed
and
they're
not
being
looked
after.
My
question,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
What
is
his
ministry
doing?
To
increase
mental
health
supports
for
health
care
workers.
B
F
For
example,
all
of
the
steps
taken
to
support
long-term
care
workers,
historic
steps,
including,
of
course,
the
unanimous
decision
by
this
house
to
get
rid
of
bills
29
in
94
the
age
gap
program
which
has
added
thousands
of
health
care
workers,
our
training
programs
that
have
supported
health
care
workers.
In
addition,
health
care
workers
have
come
together
on
issues
of
occupational
health
and
safety
with
new
programs,
new
system
that
supports
those
workers
and
will
continue
to
work
to
support
our
workers
across
the
community.
F
There
is,
and
I'd
be
happy
to
provide
the
member
with
a
briefing
on
this
extensive
effort
being
done
to
support
our
health
care
workers,
because
the
member
is
right.
We
not
only
need
to
recruit
a
new
generation
of
health
care
workers,
but
we
need
to
retain
the
ones
we
have.
This
is
particularly
true,
as
some
members
of
the
opposition
will
know,
in
particular
communities,
and
that
means
supporting
them
in
every
circumstance
and
that's
what
we
continue
to
do.
E
It's
not
only
healthcare
workers
who
are
in
fact
struggling
with
mental
health
and
mental
illness.
One
in
five
canadians
will
experience
a
form
of
mental
illness
every
year.
One
in
two
will
experience
a
form
of
mental
illness
by
the
age
of
40..
Rates
of
depression
and
anxiety
are
at
an
all-time
high.
The
number
of
people
dying
from
a
poisoned
drug
supply
has
never
been
higher
and
when
mental
health
and
mental
illness
goes
untreated,
people
end
up
in
the
healthcare
system
already
overburdened
for
their
unmet
needs.
E
My
question,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
This
minister
boasts
about
opening
urgent
and
primary
care
networks.
When
can
british
colombians
expect
to
have
their
minds
and
mental
health
treated
as
part
of
their
health
and
be
provided
access
to
psychologists
as
a
standard
part
of
primary
care
networks?.
G
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
the
demand
for
mental
health
and
substance
use
services
already
enormous
before
the
pandemic
hit
has
been
exacerbated
in
every
way.
There's
no
question
and
the
particular
burden
on
people
working
on
the
front
line
is
evident
to
all
of
us
in
all
of
our
communities,
so
we
are
through
every
urgent
primary
care
center.
G
G
Another
called
care
for
caregivers,
both
online
resources
that
give
access
to
free
counseling
and
anybody
working
on
the
front
line,
no
one
that
this
whole
legislature
thanks
everybody
for
their
tremendous
work,
but
also
that
we
have
counseling
particularly
tailored
to
the
particular
pressures
of
the
pandemic
available
for
you,
more
broadly,
the
workplace,
mental
health
hub
developed
again
for
people
during
the
pandemic,
businesses,
small
businesses,
hospitality
tourism,
where
people
have
been
under
particular
pressure.
That
is
an
important
piece
of
work.
G
The
psychologists
association
has
recently
given
us
a
proposal
that
that
is,
that
does
fit
in
some
ways,
with
the
mandate
instruction
that
the
premier
gave
me
to
look
at
new
ways:
a
low
cost
and
no
cost
ways
for
people
to
access
counseling.
That's
in
addition
to
the
49
count,
community
counseling
organizations
that
we
are
funding.
They
are
connecting
thousands
of
people
with
with
additional
supports
and
communities
and
we're
grateful
to
those
groups
that
are
are
connecting
people
with
immediate
care
and,
along
with
other
proposals
that
we
receive
we're.
H
Suffered
a
fractured
skull
and
a
collapsed
lung
dallas
works
full-time
to
support
himself
and
all
his
possessions
were
taken
in
the
attack,
including
his
bike,
which
was
found
dumped
in
mission
creek,
along
with
his
shoes
and
cell
phone
that
were
taken
four
months
later,
dallas
says
he's
had
no
justice,
and
I
quote
the
last
few
months
haven't
been
easy
and
unfortunately,
still
no
charges
on
the
attackers.
End
quote:
when
will
the
attorney
general
start
protecting
people
like
dallas.
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you
to
the
chair,
I'm
not
familiar
with
the
horrific
attack
the
member
describes
where
it's
at
in
the
process.
If
there
was
a
report
to
crown
council
what
the
decision
of
crown
was,
I
can
advise
the
member
in
dallas
that
sometimes
there
is
a
delay
in
laying
charges
as
police
assemble
their
file.
D
We
have
from
the
supreme
court
of
canada
again
in
a
case
called
jordan,
very
strict
timelines.
I
know
the
members
opposite
grappled
with
that
as
well,
when
they
were
in
government
all
provinces
in
canada,
very
strict
timelines
to
get
people
to
trial.
So
we
need
to
make
sure
that
the
police
files
are
complete
and
the
case
is
ready
to
go
to
trial
before
the
charges
are
laid
that
can
result
in
a
delay
in
charges
being
approved.
D
I
Eighty
percent,
eighty
percent
of
stores
have
had
to
add
additional
security
measures
and
store
owners
are
having
to
pay
for
their
broken
glass
every
single
day.
Every
single
day
graffiti
is
up
by
300
percent
and
the
chinatown
business
improvement
association
spend
half
of
their
budget
on
security
last
year.
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you
honorable
speaker,
certainly
personally
well
aware.
I
know
the
member
for
mount
pleasant
and
I
speak
regularly
about
and
the
minister
for
public
safety
about
how
to
support
chinatown.
D
The
member
opposite
will
know
the
investments
that
our
government
has
put
into
chinatown
everything
from
supporting
local
festivals
to
get
people
back
into
chinatown.
We
know
that
foot
traffic,
both
from
tourists
and
from
people
outside
chinatown
coming
to
shop,
is
vitally
important
to
reducing
street
level
crime
more
feet
on
the
street
more
eyes.
D
It
just
creates
a
safer
environment
for
people,
we're
also
investing
millions
of
dollars
in
a
beautiful
new
chinese
canadian
museum,
we're
committed
to
the
success
of
chinatown,
I
was
recently
downtown
with
the
chinatown
foundation
opening
a
massive
new
housing
development,
as
well
as
a
health
care
center
for
people.
D
We,
our
commitment
to
chinatown,
is
clear.
I
I
recently
did
an
interview
with
global
about
an
increase
in
vandalism
in
chinatown,
committing
again
to
partner
with
the
minister
for
public
safety
to
address
these
issues.
These
quality
of
life
issues
that
make
people
feel
less
safe,
and
I
look
forward
to
working
with
a
member
to
address
this
with
the
loss
of
tourists
as
a
result
of
the
pandemic,
the
loss
of
that
street
traffic.
D
I
think
there
are
a
few
communities
more
affected
than
chinatown
and
as
a
community
that
historically
has
been
left
to
the
bottom
of
the
list
and
ignored
and
discriminated
against.
I
understand
why
this
weighs
particularly
on
the
community
that
it
feels
particularly
acute,
and
we
want
to
support
them
as
much
as
possible
in
success.
Success
in
chinatown
as
the
governments
and
the
province's
success.
B
Member
for
prince
george
mckenzie-
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
at
a
recent
town
hall
on
a
crime
wave
being
faced
by
vancouver
business
owner
john
claretti
described
it
as,
and
I
quote,
the
worst.
I
have
ever
seen:
random
assaults
window
breakage
mass
amounts
of
shoplifting
theft,
human
defecation
people
living
on
the
streets.
End
quote.
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
Again,
a
member
standing
up
and
suggesting
I'm
denying
an
issue
that
didn't
deny.
There
are
issues
in
downtown
vancouver
with
the
reduction
in
foot
traffic
downtown
we've
seen
an
escalation
in
quality
of
life,
minor
property
crimes
graffiti.
D
Certainly,
we've
seen
with
people
less
able
to
access
services
during
the
pandemic
and
increase
the
visible
mental
health
and
distress
in
the
community
that
makes
people
wonder
what's
happening
and
feel
unsafe,
and
so
we
have
a
number
of
responses
on
different
fronts.
The
minister
for
public
safety,
his
staff
addressed
an
issue
with
the
vancouver
police
budget
to
make
sure
that
resources
were
available.
The
minister
for
mental
health
and
addiction
opening
two
complex
care
sites
in
vancouver
to
provide
additional
supports
to
people
struggling
with
mental
health
and
addiction
issues.
D
As
far
as
crown
council,
I
invite
the
member
to
certainly
bring
forward
any
information
that
he
has
about
a
concern
related
to
specific
cases,
but
I
have
shared
information
about
about
crown
council's
approaches
as
well
as
significant
changes
in
the
federal
law.
That
crown
council
are
bound
to
follow.
D
B
B
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
In
the
meeting
with
terrace
mayor
cobb
was
there
from
williams
lake.
He
and
I
have
had
a
number
of
meetings
to
discuss
the
challenges
that
are
faced
in
his
community.
I
know
the
minister
for
public
safety
is
incorporated
into
base
budget
funding
that
was
provided
to
the
city
as
a
response
to
covet
to
improve
community
safety.
I
know
there's
more,
we
can
do
and
again
to
the
member
no
one's
denying
that
there's
an
issue
with
prolific
offenders,
especially
that
are
grappling
with
mental
health
and
addiction
issues.
D
Our
government
is
taking
a
number
of
important
steps
in
that
regard.
Welcome
feedback
from
the
members
about
other
ways
at
our
provincial
jurisdictional
level.
We
can
address
these
issues
and-
and
I
I
think,
that's
really
one
of
the
best
ways
that
we'll
see
success
on
this
incredibly
challenging
piece
and-
and
I
know
the
members
in
bringing
these
issues
forward-
are
doing
exactly
what
they
should
be
doing
as
the
opposition,
which
is
raising
the
profile
of
issues
the
government
needs
to
work
on.
D
I
can
assure
that
member,
as
well
as
all
of
the
members
that
we
are
aware
of
this
issue,
that
we
are
working
with
mayors
on
these
issues,
the
minister
for
public
safety
and
I,
the
minister
for
mental
health
and
addiction.
We
are
working
on
these
issues
and
we
will
see
progress
on
them.
Thank
you,
honestly.
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
after
five
years
of
of
inaction,
businesses
and
communities,
all
over
bc
are
closing
they're
closing
because
they
can
no
longer
take
the
unchecked
violence,
that's
impacting
their
customers
and
their
employees.
Random
assaults
and
violence
have
gotten
so
bad
in
downtown
kamloops.
That
recently,
the
mcdonald's
closed
its
doors
permanently,
the
owner
of
the
restaurant
says
doing
business
is
no
longer
possible
and
she
said-
and
I
quote
it's
for
the
safety
and
the
well-being
of
our
people-
that
we
needed
to
make
a
change
and
mcdonald's.
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you,
mr
chair,
whether
it's
fueled
by
mental
health
and
addiction
issues,
whether
it's
fueled
by
just
a
profit
motive
or
otherwise.
D
Our
government
has
taken
a
number
of
steps
and
to
address
these
issues,
and
I
want
to
identify
for
the
member
that
british
columbia
is
not
the
only
jurisdiction
grappling
with
an
increasing
crime
following
the
pandemic
and
there's
a
it's
a
topic
of
study
across
north
america.
Why
we're
seeing
escalations
in
property
crime?
Why
we're
seeing
escalations
in
random
attacks
in
many
major
centers
across
north
america?
D
But
what
is
clear
to
me
is
that
we
need
to
respond
to
this
with
made
in
vc
solutions,
which
is
why
we're
doing
things
like
complex
care,
housing,
putting
somebody
in
prison
for
a
short
term
and
then
they're
released
back
into
the
community
homeless,
to
to
repeat
the
cycle
again
and
again,
isn't
going
to
work
to
address
these
issues.
Criminal
law
and
prison
is
part
of
an
array
of
responses
and
we
believe
that
to
truly
interrupt
this
cycle.
D
For
and
and
I
will
say
that
for
companies-
restaurants,
like
big
chains
like
mcdonald's,
all
the
way
down
to
small
mom
mom
paw
shops,
grappling
with
people
who
are
clearly
dealing
with
mental
health
and
addiction
is
probably
one
of
the
biggest
issues
I
hear
about
and
why
I'm
so
hopeful
for
the
complex
care
model
that
we're
launching
to
interrupt
that
cycle.
For
so
many
people.
K
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
attorney
general
knows
full
well
of
the
pleas
of
the
victims
and
their
families
and
they're
wanting
the
province
to
accept
the
fact
that
they're
facing
a
massive
crime
problem
today,
and
I
would
suggest
all
87
elected
officials
here-
get
regular
emails,
government
mlas
as
well
about
the
issues
in
their
communities.
K
K
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
We
did
see
an
increase
in
the
number
of
no
charge
decisions.
The
members
numbers
are
different
from
those
I
would
present
to
the
house.
I
can
say
that
in
the
year
before
the
pandemic,
84
percent
of
charges
were
approved
by
crown
council
in
2020
21,
the
first
year
of
the
pandemic
that
went
to
77
percent.
D
It
is
a
decrease
of
seven
percent
in
charge
approvals
by
crown
council
in
a
single
year
there
were
a
number
of
factors
during
that
year.
Bill
c-75,
which
I
advised
the
member
about
the
rv
sora
decision
about
administration
of
justice.
Offenses
definitely
factors
the
pandemic
in
the
decision,
by
crown
or
by
judges
to
release
people
when
they
may
not
have
otherwise
done
so
because
there
was
concern
about
coping
19
outbreaks
in
prisons
and
essentially
sentencing
someone
to
contract.
D
So
there
are
a
number
of
factors,
but
I
I
take
the
member's
key
point
that
this
is
an
important
indicator.
I'll
assure
the
member
that
I
am
tracking
it.
But
I
have
asked
crown
council
to
provide
me
information
about
why
to
the
best
of
their
knowledge.
We
saw
that
departure
from
historic
trends
and
I
can
advise
the
member
to
the
best
of
my
knowledge.
D
It's
not
due
to
any
policy
change
made
by
the
provincial
government,
as
we
had
a
full
year
of
experience
under
all
the
policy
changes
that
we
made
at
the
provincial
level
and-
and
this
appears
to
be
pandemic
related,
but
without
prejudging
it
we'll
wait
for
council
to
provide
that
information
to
me.