Following the BC Leaders’ Debate, the BC Green Party announced two major public safety reforms they plan to implement if elected.
The first of these initiatives is to create a taskforce for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+) in BC.
The second initiative would see the RCMP’s Critical Response Unit (formerly the Community Industry Response Group, CIRG) disbanded.
“Systemic racism continues to plague British Columbia’s public safety institutions,” said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party.
“Indigenous women are disproportionately represented in missing and murdered persons statistics, while communities face excessive policing. The BC Greens are focused on creating a public safety system that uplifts, rather than tears down, marginalized communities.”
Statistics have shown that Indigenous women are six to 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than non-Indigenous individuals.
If elected, the BC Greens MMIWG2S+ taskforce would investigate the disproportionately high number of cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people in BC.
Related:
- Here are some key points of last night’s heated BC Leaders debate
- BC Conservatives announce drug crisis plan which includes involuntary treatment
They stipulated that the taskforce would operate under civilian oversight from Indigenous communities and would prioritize leadership by women and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
Regarding the disbanding of the Critical Response Unit, the BC Greens say there is no need for this branch due to their purpose being rooted in the defence of industrial interests at the expense of public and Indigenous rights.
Furstenau says the unit has harmed relations between law enforcement and communities.
A specific example is the Critical Response Unit’s involvement in numerous arrests of land defenders and activists at the Fairy Creek blockade.
The way the RCMP handled the Fairy Creek situation has been widely criticized as extreme and unethical.
There have been over 400 formal complaints against the RCMP’s Critical Response Unit for violating human rights. This includes cases of intimidation, brutality and harassment.
The BC Greens say that many groups, including the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, have been calling for it to be disbanded.
“Under the BC NDP, the Critical Response Unit has sowed division and created mistrust between communities and law enforcement,” Furstenau stated.
“John Rustad wants to go even further in cracking down on groups who are concerned about the impacts of resource extraction on their communities and natural environment. Both these parties want to put industry profits ahead of people. It’s time to dismantle the CRU and rebuild a system that protects people, not corporate interests.”
Advance voting is now underway across the province ahead of the general election date of Saturday, October 19th.
