B.C. Liberal Cutbacks Putting Public Safety at Risk: New Democrats
NANAIMO — The B.C. Liberal cutbacks to the criminal justice system are putting public safety at risk, says New Democrat attorney general critic Leonard Krog.
Leonard Krog
And Krog says the cuts – leading to a lack of judges – are also threatening the fundamental right of citizens to have timely access to the courts.
“In the last week, impaired driving and drug trafficking charges were thrown out in the Kootenays because there wasn’t a judge available to hear the cases,” said Krog, the New Democrat MLA for Nanaimo.
“The public has every right to be concerned that the B.C. Liberals’ cuts could be putting public safety at risk.
“And to make matters worse, it won’t save money. If the B.C. Liberals’ mismanagement means that even one person who is guilty of a criminal offence goes free and is able to re-offend, the fiscal and social costs will be high.”
B.C. Chief Justice James Crabtree said the justice system is "in immediate need of additional judicial resources, adding that "If judicial resources are not forthcoming, growing backlogs are inevitable."
Krog has been raising the issue with the B.C. Liberal government for months. In budget estimates last November, Attorney General Mike de Jong acknowledged the problem and committed to ensuring that adequate resources would go to addressing the judge shortage.
“This is a problem of the government’s making,” said Krog. “They quickly appointed a judge in Cranbrook after the shortage there made the news.
“Unfortunately, like with so many other issues, the B.C. Liberals prefer to lurch from crisis to crisis instead of putting the adequate resources in place to ensure the system runs smoothly.”
Carole James and the New Democrats have been holding the B.C. Liberals accountable for breaking their word on the HST, and for backtracking on their election promises to protect health care, education, and other vital services.
