Crime is in the spotlight
Posted February 11, 2009 by Sacha Peter - Link
Category: Justice
Comments (9)
Attorney General Wally Oppal has been under fire from all sides with respect to the BC Government’s handling of the entire justice portfolio. Monday on CKNW, he and John McComb were firing remarks at each other.
It’s fairly obvious that this has caught the attention of central administration – Premier Gordon Campbell was answering crime-related questions in question period today in the legislature. This rarely happens.
The NDP are smart to be making the crime and justice issue a proxy issue for Wally Oppal. While his riding (Vancouver-Fraserview) is relatively BC Liberal leaning, if his performance is made to be a referendum issue this election, Oppal will be facing an election that will be more difficult than it otherwise should be.
This development is probably welcome relief for the NDP, who have been trying to find an issue to sink its teeth into.
I don’t really know. Mustel shows that crime is only a “Top Issue of Concern” for ~ 4% of the BC populace.
http://www.mustelgroup.com/top_issues.html
And when one looks at the Ipsos poll, released today, on these same issues and the results to the same gang violence question from around 1 1/2 years ago compared to today:
“How would you rate the performance of each of the following at dealing with gang violence in Metro Vancouver?”
BC Government:
October/2007 – Total Good Job – 10%; Total Poor Job – 85%
February/2009 – Total good Job – 12%; Total Poor Job – 82%
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/pdf/GangViolencePoll2009.pdf
Public opinion hasn’t really changed that much.
The credit here really has to go to Mike Farnworth, who has singlehandedly put the Liberals on the ropes on this issue.
Crime can be a hot issue at election time, especially if the government is pegged to have an attitude of “it will resolve itself” or the like.
Although the economy will be the number one issue on people’s minds (“Will I have a job tomorrow?” is the specific question I figure), number two will be a weighing factor as well in that both parties generally don’t have viable solutions.
And I don’t think Farnworth had anything to do with it, it had everything to do with the two shooters that shot up people outside of two different IGA stores.
Obviously the shootings is what has brought the issue to the forefront, but my point is that Farnworth’s positioning of the NDP on this issue has allowed them to put the Liberals on the defensive. I’m analyzing the issue from a election perspective and I believe that the NDP of the past would not have been as forceful on this issue as they have been with Farnworth leading the attack. That was my point.
There was another shooting on 200th and 86 Ave in Langley today, a whopping 1/4 mile away from the first shooting.
I think you’re giving the NDP and Farnworth too much credit here – the catalyst was external events, and I certainly didn’t hear the NDP pushing this until the shootings started.
Also, the NDP would be wise to propose solutions instead of complaining the BC Liberals didn’t do anything about it – right now the NDP has the tactical advantage but in order for this to translate into votes for them they need to propose a viable solution.
Guns & Gang Laws
Police and prosecutors are not the problem; I think it is the judges and their soft hearts to get raises (are they paid out of the same ministry that funds prisons?). So they hand out light sentences to leave more money in the system for them to draw on and keep the government bottom-line happy. Prisons are expensive to build and operate.
Want to save money? Legalize marijuana (the laws do more harm than the drug) tax it, and double the fight on drugs that kill.
Anyone that commits a crime with a gun gets an additional 5 years minimum added to their sentence. Any criminal or gang associate found with a gun near them gets 5 years for first offence ten years for second and life for third. When a gun is fired, anyone with gunpowder residue on them, gets ten years. No excuses. Then these punks will think twice about carrying a gun or who they hang with. Laws should protect the people, not make money for lawyers and tie up court time. You can clean it up if you want. Let’s hope it is soon, before another bystander is killed.
More Liberal Gangster Lies
If Gordo and his Gang are talking they are Lieing
Anybody who would vote for these Liberal Gangsters needs to have their heads exmined !
I would love to see these gangsters have the guts to give the people of B.C. the right to bring Verk and Basi to trial so the people of this province can really see that the liberals were paying off supporters with drug money that these two were into in order to pay people to take out Liberal memberships. This is a real gang of Thugs we have running this province. B.C.is FOR SALE.
The NDP should keep pushing the Justice issues. Farnsworth has made time to talk to Criminal Justice members about issues. Judges don’t benefit from not putting people in jail. Pass all the sentencing laws you want, it will not change a gang war for drug turf. Over the long term a Regional or Provincial Police force might have an impact. The Integrated teams are better but I have watched these cases fall apart because of lack of information sharing. There are a lot of ways to make communities safer but they tend to cost money and effort. Maybe people are ready.