There were actually TWO news stories last Wednesday which could have a significant impact on BC’s Oct. 19 provincial election.
The most obvious, of course, was the decision of BC United leader Kevin Falcon to “suspend” his party’s participation in the election … aimed at uniting conservative voters’ support behind BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad and his party’s candidates.
The timing good: polls showed consistently there was no hope the former Liberal party, headed by Falcon, could win the election; even though there has been a growing dissatisfaction …even anger and fear … at how the incumbent NDP government has failed to deal adequately with hospital Emergency Room services; and voters in urban areas (where the NDP has previously won most seats) have become totally fed up with crime … violent attacks, store thefts, shootings, druggies and crazies running amok and perceptions of general lawlessness ruling the streets.
The goal to defeat the incumbent NDP government seems distinctly more possible now … and the second most memorable news story that same day as Falcon pulled the plug may help the Conservatives do that.
“Prosecutors have stayed charges against a man accused of trying to steal a Vancouver police officer’s gun in the Downtown Eastside,” Global News reported.
And so did other BC media outlets … complete with video footage from a nearby building’s surveillance camera, showing the perpetrator turn on the officer and start struggling for his gun, before running off after the cop fought back, chasing him (off camera) and capturing the suspect.
Charges stayed? Two years later???
I have no doubt hundreds of thousands frustrated BC news watchers … and voters … muttered to themselves in disbelief, seeing and hearing that story!
(Read/watch the details here: https://globalnews.ca/news/10725219/charges-stayed-grab-vancouver-gun/.)
First, why did it take more than two years for the BC Prosecution Service … an NDP provincial government administered and operated part of the “justice” system … to decide not to proceed?
More than two years? What a joke … and a disgrace!
Second, there was the explanation given: “After reviewing this information and the rest of the file materials, the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met,” the BCPS said in an email.”
Welcome to the “justice” system that now permeates BC Courts.
I’m sure to most British Columbians, it looked like a pretty simple case to put before a jury: just show the video and call the cop as a witness to testify what happened..
I doubt it would take very long for a jury to reach a verdict.
But this is BC, where the NDP is in charge of the Crown Counsel system that runs the province’s “justice” system.
“Vancouver police said the decision not to proceed with the charges is disappointing, given officers continue to be subjected to attacks on the job,” the news story reported.
“About three officers a day in the Lower Mainland are being assaulted, whether that’s being punched at, spat on, kicked, stabbed, sometimes shot at,” Const. Tania Visintin told Global News in an interview on Wednesday.
“This decision is sending a message to people in the public, criminals, our officers that this is normalized behaviour … this is absolutely not okay that this happens, this is not part of our job and it’s not something that should be normalized.”
What the message the BC Crown is sending out these days to all the out-of-control thugs, criminals and thieves terrifying so many on so many streets in so many communities throughout BC?
I put it to you that millions of British Columbians, in fact, are fed up with the lousy job the NDP government has done in dealing with crime on our streets, the failure of the Courts to keep us safe and protect our property, to the point that more and more stores are locking up their products ,,, or just going out of business, period!
Well, it should be no surprise: a key policy promise of the BC Conservative Party for the coming election is to “Crack down on violent crime”.
The party also calls for: reverse decriminalization of hard drugs; defend the police; no more tent cities; and, appoint principled judges.
I’m sure Kevin Falcon had no idea his momentous announcement would coincide with such a revealing story on the state of BC’s “justice system” the very same day: but politically the timing was perfect … for Rustad and the BC Conservatives.
Harv Oberfeld
(New blog next Monday. Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to all new topics up for discussion.)