B.C. legislature resumes next week with reviewing Police Act on agenda
Posted June 18, 2020 5:04 pm.
Last Updated June 18, 2020 5:05 pm.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — While not all MLAs will be back in Victoria in person next week, the legislature will be back in session.
The agenda will have some business as usual items like budget and supply bills, and some that could be groundbreaking for the province.
House Leader and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says there will be some new legislation around the pandemic, as well as a review of B.C.’s 45-year-old Police Act.
“What we need to do is wait until the motion comes to the house with the complete terms of reference laying out everything that we intend to have looked at during this review,” he explains.
“The focus is around the Police Act and issues of systemic racism for example and issues involving Indigenous British Columbians,” the minister adds.
He also says the details of what the review will entail be laid out before the house.
The review stems from the American Black Lives Matter movement calling out institutionalized racism and calling for defunding police.
Premier John Horgan said last week that defunding is a simplistic answer to a complex issue and a decades-old system that now requires police to respond to challenging health matters.
There is also some work that will need to be finished, including budget estimates, Farnworth says.
Instead of the usual four days a week, MLAs will only be sitting only three days for this summer session from Monday through Wednesday. For the first time, many MLAs will be debating and voting online as they continue to work from home.
