Surrey, B.C. – Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is calling on the federal government to take full leadership in addressing the growing extortion crisis by declaring a national state of emergency or invoking equivalent extraordinary measures to combat organized crime affecting communities across Canada.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Mayor Locke introduced a motion urging the federal government to immediately make such a declaration. The motion received unanimous support from council and emphasizes that current enforcement and policy measures have not been sufficient to curb the rise in extortion, intimidation, and targeted violence.
“Surrey is facing a serious and growing crisis of organized extortion, intimidation and targeted shootings,” Mayor Locke said. “Residents and business owners are living in constant fear. Public safety is at risk, and the social and economic impact is real. The federal government needs to act now to give authorities the additional tools we need to keep our residents safe.”
As part of the motion, Mayor Locke renewed her call for the appointment of a Commissioner for Extortion Violence Against Canadians. The proposed role would oversee the implementation of key measures, including the immediate deployment of additional RCMP officers, federal organized crime units, and intelligence resources to Surrey, as well as federal RCMP leadership of a joint federal-provincial-municipal task force with authority to respond rapidly to extortion-related violence.
The motion also calls for the expedited removal of non-citizens charged or convicted of extortion, firearms offences, or participation in extortion-related criminal activity. In addition, it urges a review of legislative gaps and recommendations to strengthen police capacity to arrest, charge, and prosecute offenders, along with quarterly public reporting on the severity of extortion-related activity and progress in addressing the crisis.
Other proposed measures include expanding immediate detention and inadmissibility powers under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, ensuring coordinated financial investigations into extortion-related crimes, and allowing the public release of information identifying individuals charged with or deported for extortion-related offences to increase public awareness and deterrence.
“Surrey is entering the third year of this crisis,” Mayor Locke said. “Despite police and provincial efforts, these transnational crimes are not stopping, and we need a full-scale national effort. We need to restore public safety, protect our community, and take organized crime off our streets.”
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