Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BC Liberals likely face more firings, resignations over ethnic outreach memo from inept bunch of bunglers


Why BC Liberals Ethnic-gate Scandal Won't Blow over Soon
Part of Premier Christy Clark's ethnic outreach strategy?
Actions, and names, involved add up to more than mere stupidity.

Bill Tieleman’s 24 Hours/The Tyee column

Tuesday March 12, 2013

By Bill Tieleman

"As a government plot it is quite unique in any scandology of B.C. politics." 
- Political scientist Norman Ruff discussing BC Liberals' ethnic outreach
The strong temptation is to call the hapless hacks who concocted the BC Liberals' disastrous ethnic outreach document The Gang That Couldn't Memo Straight, an inept bunch of bunglers.
That staff working in Premier Christy Clark's office have done her more damage trying to score political points than her opponents could dream of is bad enough.
But there's much more to this than political farce performed by some incompetent aides who one ex-BC Liberal described as "a bunch of losers."
And despite Clark accepting resignations from deputy chief of staff Kim Haakstad and Multiculturalism Minister John Yap, this scandal is far from over.
Clark's Deputy Minister John Dyble is due to report on his investigation this week, while BC Liberal caucus chair Gordon Hogg is also conducting an inquiry.
Expect possible firings and more serious ramifications for the Clark crew involved, who include former BC Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt and ex-TV anchor Pamela Martin.
That's because there's a clear pattern of deception, deviousness and denial on the part of some BC Liberals.
The basics are simple: while political staff are expected to promote the premier, using non-partisan government employees and resources on partisan BC Liberal business, like collecting data, breaks all the rules.
That's what's clear in the 17-page memo circulated by Haakstad via private emails, which avoids falling under Freedom Of Information requests details -- and it's why Haakstad quit.
Don't we know you?
Some of the staff named in the email chain aren't in trouble for the first time. Others knew better -- and did nothing to stop it.
Nor is there any sense of shame amongst some BC Liberals.
Harry Bloy, the outgoing Burnaby-Lougheed MLA, actually rose in the Legislature last week to heap praise on Brian Bonney -- one of those staff involved in the outreach strategy.
Bonney has a history of political problems: he was also connected to an embarrassing BC Liberal orchestration of a Burnaby Hospital Committee report for party gain that blew up last year.
But despite that escapade, Bloy personally pinned a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal on Bonney last fall for his "significant contribution," calling him an "outstanding individual."
Bonney, who also has a checkered past in Burnaby municipal politics that includes having to apologize for a newspaper ad he partially paid for that wrongly attacked Mayor Derek Corrigan, has since left government but others remain.
'For sure'
Primrose Carson, executive director of the BC Liberal government caucus, is another staffer on the private email list who apparently looked the other way.
Yet Carson publicly reprimanded other government staff last fall, including some in the premier's office, for creating a BC Liberal Party attack website about NDP leader Adrian Dix on taxpayers' time.
"You can't be doing party work here. For sure, I would agree with that," Carson said in November. "Some conversations took place using a government email account during work hours. They shouldn't be doing that. And this is a nice reminder for them."
For sure. Nice to remind them.
So when Carson got an email outlining exactly the same kind of behavior by not only Haakstad but several others in Clark's office and beyond, why didn't she blow the whistle then and there?
Perhaps Dyble's report will explain -- and perhaps Carson will soon be unemployed.
But can anyone have faith in Dyble's investigation after independent Freedom Of Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham last week criticized Clark's own office for a "dramatic increase" in what she called "no responsive records" replies to FOI requests in the last year.
Denham outlined how premier's office staffers deliberately delete emails that are "transitory in nature" and conduct business in ways that avoid documentation.
"The general practice within the Office of the Premier is to communicate verbally in person. Email communications usually consist of requests to make telephone calls or meet in person," Denham wrote. "Generally, staff members in the Office of the Premier do not make substantive communication relating to business matters via email."
Repeated abuse of government resources for partisan political gain, use of private emails that avoid detection, deleting government emails to frustrate FOI requests and medals for some involved in scandal all add up to one conclusion:
Clark's problems are far from "transitory in nature."

.

17 comments:

DPL said...

It's hard to believe the inept group ever got elected, and almost as hard to believe why they hired such a group to tell them what to do. I guess some report was released and was being quoted in question period, and of course the Liberals are going ahead with signing long term contracts even when they know the report showed serious concerns. 9 weeks will look like a very long time

Anonymous said...

There are no ethics nor morals left, anywhere in this country. BC is the most corrupt province in all of Canada.

Campbell twice lied and cheated to win his elections too. Campbell also works for Harper, right to this very day. Not only did we have to contend with the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals thefts and corruption. Harper uses every dirty tactic in the book, he can think of to destroy BC, also right to this very day.

You tell me how the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals are still in office? Tell me how Harper and his Cons are still in office?

What does it take, to be rid of those monsters? How many more of their dirty tactics, do we have to contend with? Canada is all but in ruin. Being given to Communist China, along with our resources and resource jobs. What is left of BC, to recover with? Everything in BC, has been thieved and sold.

Anonymous said...

It will be sweet to watch the BCTV or CTV news announce Pamela Martin`s impending firing.

Anonymous said...

Nothing is going to change, no matter the outcome of the election.

The BC Liberals will simply change their party name, discover a new free-enterprise saviour (KEVIN FALCON) and be back in power within this decade.

After that, Falcon and his army of aging "Young Reform Party" zealots will be raiding the public-trough once again.

If Dix had any gonads (he has none) he would order a full criminal investigation into the last 12 years of the Campbell/Clark Evil Empire.

Without a complete house cleaning these neo-cons will be back, since its not like the "honest-NDP" has any large reserves of higher-intellect in their ranks to rebuild this battered province.

If Dix and the NDP are not prepared to punish these criminals, the NDP will be back in opposition by 2018.

Even if "we" could put a few of these public-sector criminals in the slammer, they would soon be out on early release . . . thanks to all of their "appointed" ($$$) judges the BC Grits have inserted into the legal system.

Ultimately, a Cromwellian Solution circa January, 30, 1649 would be a truly effective start.

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

The criminal element is totaly out of control in Montreal and BC.
Montreal has to contend with the MAFIA and BC taxpayers have to contend with the Liberal government. The liberals in BC are there for personal profit. Do they get a commision on the sell off of our natural resources and public assets ? Will they get employment with the corporate criminals that they sold out too?

How much money is being taken under the table?

Anonymous said...

I see BC's best Devilled Ham is at it again. Geez is he way off. Kevin isn't interested in persuing the leadership of a new party.

And does he think a few of the Young New Democrats are not listing what they want in terms of a political appointment? Get real.


The NDP was not exactly 100% honest (as Harcourt led people to believe inn his mantra in 1991).

Anonymous said...

Re: aka Comment #6 (aging young liberal in BC/PAB)

In what constitutes a last ditch effort to save his (two issues) MILF boss and his own career as peddler of filth and excuses in Chesty's Public Affairs Bureau, he continues to ineptly flail away at me.

He should be thankful I have no aspirations or desires to work or pander for any political party, even the NDP, because if I did he would be one of the first individuals to sample 21st Century Cromwellian Justice.

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

I don't think anyone should be "thankful I have no aspirations or desires to work or pander for any political party even the NDP", simply beause BC's Devilled Ham is well past his shelf life and wouldn't have anything of value to provide to any political party even the NDP.

He dates from the Trudeau era which was excessive spending, a "Just Society", the National Energy Program and patronage for almost anyone who donated to that Party.

We're sure he is waiting to vote for Justin Trudeau in the federal Liberal Leadership.

Anonymous said...

Had a chance to review the report . . . what a whitewash.

The terms of reference made for an excellent legal and political firewall for Chesty to hide behind.

Throw in the fact a BC Liberal($$$) butt-plug produced it for his megalomaniac boss and you have a total pile of dung generated at taxpayers expenses with the added zero-value of insulting the intelligence of the reader.

The GREAT SATAN

and a p.s.
There is a BC/PAB fart-catcher who recently accused me of being a Pierre Trudeau loyalist, which is total nonsense and illustrates his lack of formal and classical education.
For his intellectual enlightenment my parliamentarian of choice was born on 25 April 1599 and died of natural causes on 3 September 1658, and through his decisive actions and unparalleled leadership defined accountable government and the rule of law for the next 360 years.
"The Protector" would have kept a special place for the individuals who inhabit the PAB.

Anonymous said...

Well since The Devilled Ham had indicated a few years ago he was a federal Liberal when Trudeau was in power on this blog, if the shoe fits wear it.

and who is this Great Devilled Ham to talk when he accuses all persons who are not NDP supporters of being in the BC Liberal PAB?

He's also living in the Middle Ages.


Anonymous said...

So what does the Great Devilled Ham think of constituency money going back to pay off Gabriel Yiu when that was also found to be breaking the rules?

COnstituency office money is just for that the constituency office. it's not for sending any amount back to pay for a political hack.

If there was a need for Gabriel the NDP Caucus Research Office should have paid for him out of their budget.

Anonymous said...

In a recent column the irritating Michael Smyth of the Province poses the question " Is Christy Clark's Goose Cooked"?
No its not cooked..its bloody Cremated. I have never seen a more inept, clownish bunch of circus roustabouts posing as a political party in all the years (many) I have been following BC politics. Just incredible they are still polling at around 33%. Does that mean that 33% of the people of BC are in need of some type of mental assessment?

Anonymous said...

As the world closes in on the Chesty Bunker, her aging loyal "Christy Youth" are planning their last ditch defense of their public-trough dead end jobs.

But for all their bluster, bombast, crippled logic and outright lies that they continue to generate here, or at any other blog site . . . they cannot cover their evident fear.

And fear they should, since what becomes of a UBC or UVIC second year undergrad dropout who will be out of the job their Grit fundraising father got for them?!

To show I have a little bit of compassion in my cold black heart for this vermin, I provide this link to another major career option for these child soldiers of a failed and bankrupt phony elite:

http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/careers.html


The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

If that picture is not indicative of pandering to the ethnic vote, I'm not sure what is.

Anonymous said...

Well since the Great Devilled Ham suggested it, maybe he could get a job at McDonald's and write about the experiences so that the Christy Youth that constantly visit here can get enlightments from someone who actually works at McDonalds. He start with telling about his shift work at the french fry station.

Anonymous said...

Simply put...a culture of malfeasance was created, enhanced and continues to be used within the BC Liberal party and its obscene form of governance.

The use of public funds for anything other than for what they were intended for should be a criminal act. Indeed, the private contracting issue where $660,000.00 was used to enhance the salaries of 4 legislative clerks, when in no "written" legal contract or opinion has been given, is highly suspect, and requires RCMP investigation.

These are serious issues, within our government and this whole area of malfeasance must be viewed with extreme suspicion, requiring investigation at the highest levels, buy an independent body.

Anonymous said...

About time for a thorough house cleaning... Where's the RCMP? Oh yes maybe too much for them to handle.. Like it's a bit more than a patio isn't it? Show's how political our boys have become. There's a real conflict of interest going on in that group too. We need an outside investigation into these corrupt clowns. But it's not going to happen because we're beyond the point of no return. Next the great unwashed who pay these criminals will take to the streets.