Macklin McCall, the BC Conservative MLA for West Kelowna-Peachland and the newly appointed critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General, raised serious concerns about escalating crime and the provincial government’s handling of public safety.
During a recent interview with NowMedia, McCall criticized the NDP government for what he describes as lax bail policies and a “failed drug decriminalization experiment.”
McCall, who is a former RCMP officer with 19 years of experience, said he believes these two factors are strongly contributing to a public safety crisis in British Columbia.
McCall pointed to incidents where suspects are released after committing violent attacks as representative of broader issues with the justice system.
He said this shows how provincial responsibilities, such as policing and crown prosecutions, are failing to hold offenders accountable.
“Some people say, well that's nothing to do with the province. Well, I think it does quite frankly, because laws are created in Ottawa, but the administration of justice is the provincial government's responsibility,” he said. “And that comes down to policing. That comes down to Crown prosecutors, judges being appointed, BC sheriffs.”
He recounted his own experiences as an officer and noted how it doesn’t seem to be common practice anymore for repeat or violent offenders to be held until their court dates. He said they are too often released, sometimes to repeat the same offence immediately upon release.
“If you have a conversation with a police officer, they're doing their job,” he said. “They're working hard, but they're extremely frustrated because before the ink is dry on the police report, these people are getting released. “
The MLA also criticized the NDP’s decriminalization policy, which he argues has increased the burden on police and led to a surge in violent, drug-related incidents.
“The fact that we’ve changed this whole ‘people can just sit on the street anywhere and do drugs’… has affected policing where they’re now having to deal with much more violent altercations, stranger-on-stranger violence,” McCall said.
He highlighted the societal impact, such as drug paraphernalia littering sidewalks, forcing vulnerable citizens like seniors to navigate unsafe conditions.
McCall called for an immediate end to the policy. He also questioned why Premier David Eby, who admitted the experiment’s failure, has delayed action until January.
“He's called it unhappy consequences, which I think is a very weird way of putting it,” he said.
“It should be ended now. Absolutely.”
McCall expressed alarm over the growing presence of organized crime, citing reports of the dismantling of the largest drug lab in Canadian History, which was found in Falkland, and the largest methamphetamine seizure in New Zealand history, which originated from Vancouver.
The former officer also addressed the lack of transparency and communication from the NDP government.
Despite claims from Public Safety Minister Terry Yung that data is shared with the opposition, McCall stated, “I haven’t had anything given to me by the ministers yet.”
That information was also shared by former critic for public safety and the Solicitor General Elenore Sturko in a separate interview with NowMedia.
When Yung spoke to NowMedia in early September, he said the BC NDP was advocating for bail reform at the federal level, which was raised in a letter from Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas to Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister of justice and attorney general.
He emphasized the need for collaboration, particularly given his and Yung’s shared policing backgrounds.
“I would imagine we probably see the same public safety issues,” he said, expressing hope for better communication to address the province’s challenges.
McCall underscored the urgency of tackling violent crime, including extortion and gang-related shootings, such as the recent attack on a Surrey police station.
“If we don’t set the message right now that we’re tough on crime here in British Columbia… I fear more of this might happen. There’s no real deterrence,” he warned.
As the BC Conservatives work to establish themselves as a viable alternative to the NDP, McCall reaffirmed his commitment to holding the government accountable and prioritizing public safety for British Columbians.
