Gordon Campbell Chief of Staff Martyn Brown takes the fall for premier's dive; cabinet shuffled but same old deck

Premier Gordon Campbell's long-time Chief of Staff Martyn Brown has taken the fall today for his leader's endless dive in the polls, being replaced by former Finance Deputy Minister Paul Taylor.

Brown had filled the job since the 2001 election and before that had worked for Campbell in opposition. Brown was originally research director for the BC Social Credit Party and later top staff aide to BC Reform Party leader Jack Weisgerber, leaving after the 1996 election when Campbell lost to NDP Premier Glen Clark.

Brown also served as Executive Director of the Citizens’ Voice on Native Land Claims, a short-lived privately-funded effort to defeat the N'isgaa First Nation treaty.

Taylor, who was also CEO of the Insurance Corporation of BC in the past and most recently CEO of Naikun Wind Energy Group until June, was recruited to BC from Alberta before the 2001 provincial election. The New Car Dealers Association - major donors to the BC Liberal Party - hired Taylor the year before that election.

Taylor got himself into some controversy during the lengthy BC Legislature Raid corruption case when it was revealed in 2007 that he was friends with Brian Kieran - a Pilothouse Public Affairs lobbyist whose office were raided by police in December 2003.

Kieran and business partner Erik Bornmann became Crown witnesses and were never charged despite admitting providing bribes to former BC Liberal ministerial aides David Basi and Bob Virk in exchange for confidential government information about the privatization of BC Rail. Bornmann and Kieran worked for losing bidder OmniTRAX.

While an email between Bornmann, Kieran and third Pilothouse partner Jamie Elmhirst suggested that Taylor would be helpful to them, a KPMG review initiated by the provincial government cleared Taylor of any wrongdoing.

I obtained that email through a source in March 2007 and interviewed Taylor and Kieran but did not publish a story on it due to my concerns and those of 24 hours newspaper's legal counsel that the information leaked to me was part of the evidence planned to be presented in court.

However subsequently a story was published by Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason on the same email. At that point I was contacted by RCMP and informed an investigation was underway to determine the source of the email leaked to me - I declined to disclose that source, citing journalistic principles of protecting confidentiality. No further action was taken by the RCMP.

Brown was the first witness in the ill-fated Basi-Virk trial, testifying repeatedly that he "did not recall" or could not remember many details of the $1 billion sale of BC Rail in tough questioning by defence lawyers.

Brown is likely the longest person to have held the job of chief of staff to any premier in recent political history.

But despite the BC Liberals complaining vigorously while in opposition that the then-NDP government had "politicized" the senior public service, the entirely political Martyn Brown moves on to become Deputy Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment.

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