Anti-crime group endorses PoCo’s Farnworth
By Gary McKenna - The Tri-City News
Published: May 07, 2009 1:00 PM
Updated: May 07, 2009 3:25 PM
A Lower Mainland organization dedicated to raising awareness about crime issues during the provincial election endorsed a Tri-City candidate this week.
Enough Is Enough (www.enough-is-enough.ca), a non-partisan group that launched several weeks ago, said it would support Port Coquitlam NDP MLA Mike Farnworth, who is seeking re-election in the current provincial campaign.
The group’s spokesperson, Keith Roy said Farnworth’s work as the public safety critic and his concern about crime issues were the reasons he was one of five candidates who received the endorsement.
“He has been one of the strongest NDP candidates and has the most common sense approach to crime issues,” said Roy. “He seems to have a genuine concern for the safety of people in his riding and across the Lower Mainland.”
Roy said he has sent out hundreds of questionnaires to candidates across the region asking them their views on the purpose of incarceration and the number of officers required to combat the problem.
On Wednesday Farnworth told The Tri-City News he was pleased to receive some recognition for his work on justice and crime issues.
But while the three-term MLA may have scored high marks with Enough Is Enough, his party did not fare as well.
Roy said the organization gave the NDP a D on the crime issue overall, compared to the BC Liberals, who received a C+.
Roy was one of the people who received the opportunity to pose a question during Sunday night’s leaders debate on CTV. He asked BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell, NDP leader Carole James and Green Party leader Jane Sterk if they would commit to adding 900 officers to the province’s police forces.
“That would bring us to the same level as Montreal,” he said. “That is what it took to solve the gang problem there and that is what it is going to take to solve the gang problem in the Lower Mainland.”
The other four candidates to receive the Enough Is Enough endorsement are:
• Kash Heed, BC Liberal candidate for Vancouver-Fraserview;
• Vicki Huntington, independent candidate for Delta South;
• Trevor Loke, BC Green Party candidate for Surrey-Newton;
• and Benjamin Besler, BC Conservative candidate for Chilliwack.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/election/44547157.html
