Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad said he is still studying new emergency legislation tabled earlier this month, but questions the government’s incorporation of guidelines from the United Nations.
“So I haven’t had a chance to go into real detail on it…but there are some things in there I think that could be helpful,” Rustad said. “It’s going to be interesting when we get into the details, but one thing that very much disturbs me, is this government is bringing legislation based on recommendations from the (United Nations).
“My perspective is British Columbia is its own unique jurisdiction. It has its own issues and it should not be governed by the UN through a proxy of the NDP.”
Rustad was referring to comments from Emergency Minister Bowinn Ma, who noted that the Emergency and Disaster Management Act tabled last week aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The United Nations adopted the framework in 2015 with Canada among its 187 signatories. B.C. became the first province in Canada to adopt the framework in 2018.
When challenged on the claim that B.C.’s incorporation of guidelines amounts to being governed by the UN, Rustad said the UN has brought out guidelines for a wide range of things.
“British Columbia is different from other jurisdictions,” he said. “How could guidelines be that broad that they could guide the entire world? I think there could be an agenda afoot. But regardless of that, if the UN comes out with some recommendations, some ideas, those are things we should be considering. But I’m not going to be moving forward with legislation or approaches based on what the UN is recommending.”
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The Ministry of Emergency Management and Preparedness disagreed with Rustad in a statement.
“The proposed legislation does not give the United Nations any kind of decision-making or governance role in B.C.’s emergency management framework,” it reads.
The ministry also said that the new legislation “integrates lessons learned from emergencies in BC in recent years – from wildfires to floods, extreme heat and COVID-19 – and reflects modern risks and realities, including climate change and transmissible diseases, such as COVID-19.”
The statement also notes that the framework represents global best practices for disaster risk reduction.
“The framework recognizes the increasing impacts of disasters exacerbated by climate change, and places emphasis on mitigation and preparation,” it reads. “It also focuses on the use of traditional, Indigenous and local knowledge, and promotes collaboration among governments, organizations and critical infrastructure operators.”
The framework identifies four priorities in emergency management: understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to ‘Build Back Better’ in recovery, rehabilitation, reconstruction.
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wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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