Nina Krieger’s first foray into provincial politics has been nothing short of a “wild ride.” While working as executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, she decided to seek the BC NDP nomination in Victoria-Swan Lake for the 2024 election. Under the tutelage of retiring longtime NDP MLA Rob Fleming, Krieger learned about the constituency by connecting with residents and local organizations. On Oct. 19, 2024, she was elected with more than half the vote. She began her first term as parliamentary secretary for arts and film before being promoted eight months later. When Premier David Eby reshuffled his cabinet back in June of this year, he made a call Krieger did not expect, offering her the role of minister of public safety and solicitor general. “It was a true honour to be asked to take on this role,” she told Victoria News. “It was wholly surprising but also a challenge and opportunity that I agreed to going forward with, with great humility for the role, gratitude for my predecessor and with great determination to do the work to advance public safety that British Columbians are expecting.” Occupying this role for the last six months, Krieger sat down with Victoria News to discuss her role, challenges, priorities and future goals. Central to her position, she explained, is prioritizing “adequate and effective policing” to ensure public safety for all B.C. residents. With collaboration at the core of her approach, Krieger seeks to work across ministries to improve the province’s correctional, coroner and victim services. “(We look) not only to ensure that we’re tackling crime, but also addressing some of the root causes of crime and supporting people when they need help,” she said. “The complexity of advancing public safety, which is beyond the work of any one ministry, is just such an awesome challenge.” Currently, Krieger is working with Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, to examine where public safety intersects with housing and health care. Krieger also mentioned working with police forces across the province to ensure they have the resources needed to address crime and local challenges. Another item atop Krieger’s list is to invest in the province’s specialized integrated units to combat specific issues like drug and human trafficking. However, enforcement is not Krieger’s only concern, adding that supporting victims of crime and vulnerable populations is also important. “In Victoria, we’re launching an initiative soon called Health IM, which is a digital tool that lets police log and capture specifics related to a mental health crisis and allows that information to be passed seamlessly to health professionals, really supporting compassionate interactions with people and ensuring they get the care that they need,” she said. Being in session since Oct. 6 in her new role, Krieger said there’s never been a dull moment. “It’s been a wild ride and it’s been really exciting,” she said. “As a minister, I have a role in that question period, fielding questions about various issues related to public safety from the opposition and from the other parties, so it’s been action-packed.” While Krieger said that “so much has happened” over the past year, she added that the foundation of her work remains anchored in the community she represents every week at the legislative assembly. “My work outside of the ministry office with community organizations continues and really fuels the work that happens in the chamber,” she said.
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