Wally Oppal

The inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women delivers big questions, even before it begins

Ottawa has spent nearly $200 million on seven inquiries. So, are we getting our money’s worth?

Stephen Harper, yesterday. “First of all, we know that those who have traditionally advocated soft-on-crime policies will continue to oppose this kind of legislation It is essential for deterrence to have strong penalties that we know will be enforced … The truth of the matter is, those who say that tougher penalties on perpetrators will not work don’t want them to work, because they don’t believe in this kind of approach … les soi-disons ‘experts’ s’opposent à ces législations, ce sont les experts qui nous ont donné la situation actuelle.”

No, British Columbians, you haven’t gone back in time. Your attorney-general, Wally Oppal, is indeed appointing a third special prosecutor to examine the Bountiful/polygamy file in hopes he’ll finally get the opinion he  wants—which is (a) that Section 293 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits polygamy, would withstand a Charter challenge and (b) that charges should be laid against one, some or all of the polygamists in Bountiful.