Over the past several months, Vancouver residents have seen many troubling headlines involving violent crime at the hands of repeat offenders, but what is the province and its Attorney General doing about it?
Daily Hive had a one-on-one chat with B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma last week, putting the concerns of Vancouver residents to her. Even following that discussion, just one day after we interviewed the Attorney General, we learned about another heinous attack that took place in Vancouver involving a teenager.
We had a simple inquiry question for Sharma: How is the province responding to violent repeat offenders and other criminal offences being committed by people who are suffering from mental health issues?
While she pointed to a few things that the province was actively doing, she also stated that the province needs help from the federal government, just as the City of Vancouver requires assistance from both the provincial and federal governments. Is this just a carousel of finger-pointing and shifting blame? Where’s the action?
How the province is reacting to violent crime at the hands of repeat offenders
Dustin Godfrey/Shutterstock
“We’ve stepped up in a number of ways,” Sharma told Daily Hive.
She pointed to the repeat violent offender program as one of those ways, which was introduced after she became the Attorney General.
“That’s 12 hubs across the province where there’s Crown counsel, police officers, probation officers that are working together to circle themselves around the violent repeat offenders in our system.”
She said that work is seeing results.
On the topic of mental health supports, she says the province has been investing.
“The minister of health is doing a lot of work on our involuntary care system,” she noted.
Sharma said the province is working hard to allocate beds to those who need them most. Sharma also recently connected with Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Justice. We inquired about the developments that arose from that meeting.
“I’ve spoken with Minister Fraser, and he understands that there’s more work to be done,” Sharma said.
Sharma mentioned that the ideas she proposed to Fraser related to repeat offenders and folks who repeatedly breach the law. She suggested that the system provide better tools to prevent them from reoffending and to keep them off the streets.
She pointed out that in the early stages of this work, the province had requested changes to the federal bail policy, adding that B.C. had led the way and encouraged other provinces to follow suit. We published an explainer on some of those changes earlier this year.
The province is undertaking additional measures to combat petty crime, such as shoplifting, with the recently announced C-STEP program.
Is B.C. doing enough?
B.C. Premier David Eby ahead of his trade mission to Asia. (BCGov/Flickr)
So what have we learned so far? There are programs in place, and conversations are happening between various levels of government. There has been some work done on bail reform, and our leaders are promising to do more.
But some people are demanding more immediate action.
In April, we spoke to Kash Heed, a former Vancouver police officer who was among those demanding immediate action. Heed told Daily Hive that the premier and Attorney General should be banging on the desk of B.C.’s judges, demanding that repeat offenders be kept in custody, saying, “Your judges are not enforcing the bill reform act the way it was intended to be. What are you going to do about it?”
We put that assertion to Sharma.
“It doesn’t work that way.”
Sharma pointed to the differences in how our system works compared to America’s, stating that “the independence of the judiciary and the freedom from political interference” are key factors in maintaining the strength of our democracy.
“Nobody that’s accused of a crime in this province, whether they did it or not, needs to think that a politician would call up a judge and direct them to do anything. That is the height of corruption in a democracy. It’s something that I won’t be doing as Attorney General,” Sharma said.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is also demanding more immediate action.
In May, Sim put out a press release demanding action from all levels of government following the release of a suspect involved in a brutal Stanley Park attack.
“The public deserves an answer from Attorney General Niki Sharma on why this continues to happen,” Sim said.
We got a statement from Sharma in response to the mayor.
“I understand the fear and concern that many can feel when they see these tragic stories. I share their frustration about repeat violent offenders, and we’ve been fighting for changes to keep them off the streets. We’re working on policy ideas that can strengthen the Criminal Code and lead to increased consequences for repeat offenders.”
Sharma also said she had met with the justice minister to raise the issue directly.
What is the federal government committing to?
Sean Fraser standing tall at a press conference on June 3. (@SeanFraserMP/X)
In response to our request for comment, Minister Fraser’s spokesperson first thanked Sharma for a letter she sent the minister and her advocacy for B.C., adding, “We will carefully review her proposals and provide a formal response in due course.”
Fraser’s spokesperson also suggested that collaboration was required.
“There’s no doubt: tackling the threat of violent repeat offenders must be part of the path forward. All orders of government need to work together to keep Canadians safe.”
The spokesperson alluded to “toughening the Criminal Code” to make bail more challenging to obtain, a measure that many residents have been requesting.
“Minister Fraser looks forward to working closely with his provincial and territorial colleagues in the weeks and months ahead to ensure every Canadian feels safe in their community.”
Given how slowly the wheels of justice and government tend to turn, it’s unlikely that assurances from the government that work is being done will appease residents who are concerned about the immediate safety of their communities.
But we’ll ask you. What do you make of what our leaders are saying, and are you hopeful that these promises and ideas will lead to change? Is there anything that hasn’t been proposed that you wish the province would consider? Chime in in the comments.