Eby says extortion wave is ‘terror attack in slow motion’

OTTAWA — B.C. Premier David Eby says a wave of extortion crime in the province is a “terror attack in slow motion.”

Eby, who was speaking in Ottawa after a premiers meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, says parliament needs to pass legislation to help tackle the wave of attacks that has seen homes and businesses sprayed with gunfire.

He says while it could never be dreamed that a participant in a terror attack could get refugee status, that’s “exactly what’s happening under our current system.”

Eby calls the ability of extortion suspects to seek refugee status a “loophole that has to be closed” with the passage of Bill C-14, although his spokesman later clarified Eby meant to say Bill C-12, on immigration reform.

The Canada Border Services Agency said last month that 15 foreigners facing extortion charges had applied for refugee status in Canada.

On Wednesday, the federal government announced it was sending an additional 20 RCMP officers to join anti-extortion efforts in Surrey, B.C., which has been hit hard by the crime wave, with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree saying helicopters would also be deployed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.