November 20, 2009
NDP Reality: Assault is "Minor" Offence, Criminals Supported

VICTORIA – The NDP’s reality continues to include their love affair with criminals and hypocrisy regarding their own previous policy, believing assault and theft are “minor offences” and offending criminals should be eligible for income assistance.

“The NDP have a love affair with criminals,” says Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman. “What the Opposition won’t admit to is in the 1990s, they had proposed almost the exact same legislation in regulation. Now, they’re opposed to exactly what they did then and I think that is just patently hypocritical on their part.” 

In legislative debate earlier this week, NDP finance critic Bruce Ralston admitted assault, wilful damage to property and making threats are minor offences and people with warrants for these crimes should be supported by taxpayer dollars, a direct contradiction to earlier NDP regulation.

The NDP proposed a nearly identical policy 12 years ago as part of the Disability Benefits Program Regulation.  However, unlike the legislation presently before the legislature, the NDP government of the day discussed the regulation behind closed doors and with no public consultation or debate.

Then NDP MLA Dennis Streifel’s made comments on his government’s 1997 policy, repeating the intent of the current legislation: “If an individual is fleeing a warrant for an indictable offence that disqualifies them from receiving income assistance in British Columbia.” (Hansard, June 23, 1997). 

The current Housing and Social Development Statutes Amendment Act will restrict access to income assistance and disability assistance for people with outstanding indictable arrest warrants in B.C. and other provinces, as well as arrest warrants under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

“The NDP would rather default on the side of the criminal, rather than the victims of crime in this country,” says Coleman.  “They just love the criminal.  That’s too bad, because I don’t.”

Visit Rich’s website at www.richcolemanmla.bc.ca and follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/colemancountry

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