Robert Dziekanski affair draws public enquiry

Solicitor General John Les has ordered a full public enquiry into the actions of the RCMP in subduing by use of Taser Polish traveller Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver Airport on October 14.

In the legislature today, the pols went at it hammer and tongs:

From Hansard

C. James: Last week, British Columbians, Canadians and, in fact, people from all over the world were shocked and angered when they saw the graphic video of Robert Dziekanski’s death. Both the Solicitor General and the Attorney General dismissed the idea of a public inquiry. They said it was unnecessary. This is the fourth time in a month that the Solicitor General has chosen to be dismissive rather than taking real action. This time he did it with the world watching. British Columbians expect better, especially when our province’s reputation is at stake. Today we hear that the Solicitor General has finally announced a public inquiry. My question is: why did it take the Solicitor General so long to act?

Hon. J. Les: British Columbians were certainly shocked and horrified last week when the tape was made available around the events that occurred on October 14. No one could have been left unmoved upon seeing that video. It is an example of something that should never have occurred in British Columbia. It is our obligation now, first of all, to see that justice is done, that all of the facts related to this issue are properly investigated, but also to ensure that British Columbians, Canadians and, in fact, people around the world also now get an opportunity to see how we as British Columbians properly and effectively deal with this type of matter.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplemental.

C. James: I do. A mother lost her son. An immigrant to our country died at our gateway in British Columbia. There was no one there to help him. Multiple agencies failed him. They failed his family. The Solicitor General has finally agreed to what we and British Columbians have been calling for, which is a public inquiry. Now will the Solicitor General take the important and necessary step and apologize to all British Columbians for this tragic incident?

Mr. Speaker: Solicitor General.

Hon. J. Les: I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we are indeed sorry for what happened. This should never have happened, and we particularly apologize to Mr. Dziekanski’s family. They will carry this sorrow with them for a long, long time. We have an obligation, as a result, to ensure that we do everything we can to ascertain what the facts are, what the issues are, how we can learn from this, how we can ensure that this never happens again. The production of the video last week certainly multiplied the questions that British Columbians had around this issue. We have numerous processes in place specifically designed to find out what the situation was and how this occurred. With the public inquiry, we’ll be able to bring all of that together in a public way, in an integrated fashion so that all of those questions will be answered.

B. Ralston: The tragic death of Robert Dziekanski is making headlines around the world, including in the Times of India, arguably the leading English language daily of India. The Premier is traveling to India in the first week of December. My question is to the Attorney General, who is travelling with him: What assurances will he be giving to Indians that he’s meeting there, who he’s going to invite to visit our province, that they will be able to enter through the Vancouver airport safely?

Hon. W. Oppal: I think the world knows that we are a welcoming society. We have a WelcomeBC initiative. We have worked with multicultural groups around the world to ensure that they know that British Columbia welcomes all immigrants. I think the one incident that took place is tragic, and it’s regrettable. But I think that reasonable people throughout the world know that that was an unusual incident, and we hope to learn from it.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

B. Ralston: Today it was announced that two 14-year-old Chilean twins who’d planned a Canadian holiday in the B.C. interior cancelled their trip after viewing the video back at home in Chile. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Sport, and the Arts. What steps is he taking to ensure that the word gets out that British Columbia and the Vancouver International Airport are, indeed, warm and welcoming places as opposed to what’s depicted in that video?

Hon. J. Les: I think citizens around the world can actually look at the process that we have now laid out with respect to the public commission of inquiry around this issue. They will be able to appreciate that we in British Columbia have taken the lead on this issue. We want it to be investigated in an absolutely thorough way. We don’t want to leave any of the issues undiscovered. I think people around the world will, in a fair-minded way, be able to evaluate our response. They will know that they will be able to continue to come to British Columbia, which is”¦. I think all of our objectives are to make sure that people feel welcome here and that they feel safe while they’re in British Columbia.

L. Krog: The public deserves and expects answers about this tragedy. The police obviously deserve to have proper training on the use of Tasers, and that’s going to take time. In the meantime, the public needs to be able to have confidence that this kind of tragedy will never happen again. So my question to the Solicitor General is very simple. Will he show some leadership today and call for a temporary moratorium on the use of Tasers in B.C. until we get the answers we deserve?

Hon. J. Les: The use of Tasers, of course, is a very complex issue. It was discussed most recently at the justice ministers’ meeting last week in Winnipeg. The consensus there was that there should be no immediate moratorium on the use of Tasers. I note, as well, that the federal leader of the NDP agrees with that position. Tasers were brought into use in British Columbia in the 1990s under the previous NDP government after a very considered decision. They do have their place in police enforcement. They are, of course, to be used carefully and within guidelines, and we expect that to happen in British Columbia. So while the use of Tasers in British Columbia will continue, I have asked, as an urgent matter, that the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police, when they meet this coming Wednesday — the day after tomorrow — to carefully consider the guidelines surrounding the use of Tasers and whether or not, in some cases, those Tasers have been used outside of those guidelines.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

L. Krog: Mrs. Dziekanski’s only son is dead. All that is being asked today of this Solicitor General, of this government, is to take the tiny risk of imposing a temporary moratorium on the use of Tasers. Surely, the Solicitor General would wish to ensure that this kind of tragedy would never happen again. So again I ask the Solicitor General: will he agree to a temporary moratorium on the use of Tasers?

Hon. J. Les: In making those kinds of decisions, we always need to come to a balanced point of view. If we were to immediately cease the use of Tasers in British Columbia, there is a very significant argument that we would, in fact, put public safety in jeopardy and certainly the safety, as well, of the police officers who serve us here in British Columbia. So it is not a decision to be taken lightly, whether or not we should put public safety in jeopardy as well as, certainly, the safety of the police officers that serve us here in the province of British Columbia. So it is not a decision to be taken lightly — whether or not we should allow the use of Tasers to continue. It is, in fact, a decision that means we should re-examine their use to make sure that they’re being used as intended, appropriately, within the guidelines, so that the police will be able to use them in a way that keeps us all safe. This entire investigation is more than about just the use of Tasers. Clearly, I would suggest, on the 14th of October there were many things that went wrong, and we need to focus on all of those issues in our quest to ensure that this type of thing does not happen again.

M. Karagianis: This issue is about the safety and protection of the police as well as it is about the public. On Friday the provincial police in Newfoundland and Labrador suspended their use of Tasers in response to the events taking place here in Vancouver at the airport. So I would ask the Solicitor General again: could we not follow the lead of Newfoundland and Labrador and call for a temporary moratorium on Taser use in the province of British Columbia?

Hon. J. Les: I believe I’ve already explained how the justice ministers across the country came to a considered position on this just on Friday of last week. The member, I’m sure, is interested in the fact that her federal leader supports the position of continuing the use of Tasers. This is not a decision that is taken lightly; this is a decision that is taken in the public interest. But I am fully aware of the concern around the use of Tasers, and in that light, I have taken steps to ensure that this gets a full discussion at the earliest possible opportunity by the police chiefs of British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

M. Karagianis: I do. I am impressed by the fact that the Solicitor General is taking his lead from the federal leader of the NDP. However, an analysis by Canadian Press has said that in eight out of ten cases, the RCMP have Tasered people who were not carrying a gun — right? Tasers are meant to be used as a last resort. I believe the Solicitor General has made reference to that. But the tragedy in Vancouver and other incidents have shown that clearly, that is not happening. In fact, we are seeing in metro Vancouver an increased use of Tasers. So again: will the Solicitor General take leadership in this case here in British Columbia and call for a temporary moratorium here in B.C. right now until this case is resolved?

Hon. J. Les: Quite specifically how Tasers are used in British Columbia will likely be the first matter that will be reviewed by the commissioner under the public inquiry. There are many important aspects to the discussion about whether Tasers are used, in what circumstances they’re used, how they’re used, etc. We expect all of those issues to be carefully, thoroughly and fully considered in the public inquiry. I think it’s appropriate that we leave that discussion to that inquiry with, in the meantime, the police chiefs of British Columbia carefully considering the current guidelines and how they are being followed throughout the province.