RICHMOND, B.C.: Steve Kooner, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and the Official Opposition Critic for the Attorney General, is raising urgent concerns after the Law Society of British Columbia confirmed a new wave of threats targeting lawyers across the province. According to the Law Society, multiple lawyers have recently been threatened with serious physical harm unless they provided substantial sums of money — a disturbing escalation in British Columbia’s rapidly worsening extortion crisis.
“As Attorney General Critic, I am deeply concerned that violent criminal networks are now targeting the very professionals who uphold our justice system,” said Kooner. “When lawyers — officers of the court — are being told to pay large sums or face physical harm, it shows how badly the NDP has lost control of public safety.”
The Law Society advises any lawyer who receives such a threat to immediately contact their local police. Police agencies may now involve B.C.’s new Extortion Task Force, established to confront the growing wave of shootings, threats, and intimidation linked to organized crime. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has also recently joined the task force to counter foreign-linked extortion networks and accelerate enforcement actions.
Kooner said these developments underscore the urgent need for stronger, proactive measures rather than the slow and reactive posture British Columbians have come to expect under the NDP.
“This crisis has already harmed business owners, homeowners, families, and now legal professionals,” Kooner said. “As Attorney General Critic, I will continue pushing for real accountability and real solutions — not the NDP’s pattern of delay, denial, and damage control.”
Kooner is now demanding that the Attorney General, the Premier, and the federal government move immediately to classify extortion as a terrorism offence when organized criminals use violence, fear, and intimidation to coerce money from British Columbians.
“Legal protectors of our justice system are now under attack,” said Kooner. “If violent criminal groups are terrorizing our communities, then the law must treat them as terrorists. British Columbians deserve the strongest possible measures — not excuses.”
Kooner also continues to call for:
- Stronger coordination between police and CBSA to fast-track inadmissibility and removal of foreign nationals implicated in extortion;
- Dedicated provincial prosecutors specializing exclusively in extortion and specifically assigned to local police from the outset of investigations in extortion cases;
- Full public reporting on the outcomes and effectiveness of the Extortion Task Force.
- Making the names, of those arrested and deported for extortion, public.
“Lawyers should not need to fear for their lives simply for doing their jobs,” added Kooner. “British Columbians deserve a government that takes this crisis seriously. A Conservative government will put public safety first and deliver real consequences for those who threaten our communities.”
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Media Contact:
Ryan Painter
Communications
Ryan.Painter@leg.bc.ca
