‘Unacceptable’: Alberta Justice Minister Stresses Tightening Bail Policies in UCP Convention Address

A United Conservative Party member arrives for the party's annual general meeting in Calgary on Nov. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY—A “hardline approach” on bail reform is needed when it comes to repeat offenders, Alberta’s justice minister said at the annual UCP convention, as public safety took centre stage on the opening day of the two-day event.

“This type of social disorder, I think is unacceptable. Once again, we cannot allow this to happen,” Mickey Amery said on Nov. 3, emphasizing that Alberta’s prosecutors should adopt a “firm stance” when granting bail, taking into account an individual’s history of serious or repeat offences.

Mr. Amery highlighted Albertans’ concerns about rising crime rates. He emphasized the recidivism that has contributed to these concerns, pointing to a criminal incident in downtown Calgary in April 2022 which he said involved an individual who was released on bail.

He made the remarks during a discussion session dedicated to developing “safe cities,” with topics ranging from addressing rising crime rates to dealing with the opioid crisis.

The session also featured Alberta’s Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis. During his speech, Mr. Ellis talked about the opioid crisis in Alberta. He said a focus of his government is to increase treatment capacity in order to provide assistance to those suffering from addiction. He highlighted this approach in contrast to what is described as the “safe use” approach to the “pathway to treatment” and stopping recidivism.

In January 2022, Mr. Ellis announced that Alberta had funded over 8,000 additional annual treatment spaces for this purpose.

The UCP general meeting that is taking place on Nov. 3–4 in the BMO Centre at Stampede Park in Calgary.

During the convention, members will cast their votes on 30 policy resolutions chosen from a pool of 330 submissions. Policy resolutions are proposed by party members to be voted on at the convention, but they are non-binding and may not necessarily be adopted by the party leadership. Nevertheless, the resolutions do serve as reflections of issues that concern the party’s grassroots.

The UCP’s board speeches and voting are set to occur on Nov. 4, with Party Leader Danielle Smith scheduled to deliver an address on that day.

‘Villainize the Heroes’

Deidra Garyk, a UCP member from Calgary–West, shared her experiences in downtown Calgary and expressed concerns about the rising crime rates, which she attributed to substance abuse and homelessness.

“I work downtown along the Seventh Avenue C-Train line, and I can tell you that as a female I do not feel safe downtown,” she told The Epoch Times. “I paid $18 to park here [at the BMO Centre] today when I have free parking downtown because I am too afraid to take the LRT [Light Rail Transit] and then walk downtown back to my car at night. That’s ridiculous, and it’s unacceptable in a modern advanced society like Calgary.”

Hillar Lilles, another UCP member from Calgary–West, made similar remarks. Mr. Lilles, who moved from Ontario to Alberta in the late 1990s, said he has seen rising delinquency and degeneracy in recent years compared to when he first moved to the province.

“Even as an adult male, taking the C-Train can be unsettling,” he said, citing an encounter with an individual displaying signs of substance use on a train packed with commuters.

Calgary–West UCP members Hillar Lilles (L) and Deidra Garyk attend the United Conservative Party's annual general meeting in Calgary on Nov. 3, 2023. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

When asked about the factors behind the shift in the province’s public security environment, Ms. Garyk said, “We have become a society that makes heroes out of villains, and we villainize the heroes.”

Ms. Garyk pointed to incidents such as the calls to defund the police and movements like Black Lives Matter as examples of how law enforcement members are being portrayed as villains, while individuals contributing to societal disorder are elevated. She underscored the importance of everyone taking a stance against this phenomenon.