B.C. Hate Crime Team

Mixed reviews
The BC Hate Crime Team has a checkered history: some officers have displayed exemplary dedication and intelligence, others have displayed a lack of judgement and knowledge. For example, one member of the "Team" stated that there were no hate groups in BC, another wanted to see a South-Asian woman charged with hate crime because she was critical of US foreign policy, claiming that her words created hatred to the US, and another told a conference that hate speech that did not met the stringent test of the Criminal Code should be forwarded to the BC HUman Rights Commission - some years after the Commission had been disbanded by the provincial Liberal Party.

But generally the team, with a few note worthy exceptions, has failed to communicate with communities affected by hate crime, has failed to work with groups tracking hate crime in the province and is almost impossible to reach by members of the public. Crown Counsel and other Ministries that are supposed to liaise with the Team have also failed in their responsibility to communicate and receive complaints from the public. In particular, the Team as a whole has failed to respond to complaints that Bill Noble, convicted under the Criminal Code provisions for making statements designed to create hate, has allegedly broken the conditions of his parole. See Press Release

When the BC Hate Crime Team was created by then Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh, CAERS informed the media that there was concern that the Government of the day had created a mere paper tiger that would not serve its purpose of helping to combat hate crime. Some ten years after its creation, the BC Hate Crime Team has still not consistently lived up to its potential of helping to combat hate crime by taking complaints, investigating complaints and responding to the community.
In conclusion, the Team needs new leadership and a renewed commitment to work not just with a few well funded groups, but with the community at large and in particular those groups that monitor hate crime.