B.C. attorney general, premier under fire for comments on justice system

B.C.'s attorney general recently made comments in the media and online that "risk undermining the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system," according to a letter published by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.

B.C.'s attorney general recently made comments in the media and online that "risk undermining the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system," according to a letter published by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.

The letter, addressed to Niki Sharma and dated Tuesday, takes issue with comments made to Global News and in a tweet after a sentencing decision in a voyeurism case.

The decision in that case is not publicly available, but the news report says the perpetrator received a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to installing a hidden camera in a bathroom used by an international student living in his home.

Sharma shared that story on Twitter, along with a comment.

"There are no good excuses to be a sexual predator. It’s important that all actors in our justice system understand a trauma-informed approach to dealing with sexual abuse. To the survivors of predators, you’ve done nothing wrong and it is not your fault," she wrote.

Scott Morishita, president of the CBA BC, says the impact of Sharma's comments – regardless of the intent – were to cast doubt on the judge's decision in the case.

"While we understand that news reports are selectively edited and you may have made additional remarks, what was reported – along with your Twitter post – left the impression that you think the sentence is not appropriate, that the sentencing judge is not sufficiently aware of trauma-informed practice, and that the training and education for all judges may be lacking in this area," he wrote.