Despite suspicion that Speaker Darryl Plecas is laying the groundwork for another covert corruption investigation at the B.C. legislature, his chief of staff, Alan Mullen, says no new inquiries are underway.
Plecas has hired a private forensic digital company to back up data from his own computer, and those of the acting clerk of the legislature and acting sergeant-at-arms, setting off another controversy in the final hours of the spring legislative session on Thursday.
The data collection, which Mullen said was meant to “safeguard” information in case it should be requested during an investigation, led to a meeting with the house leaders on Wednesday evening. After the meeting, the Liberal house leader, Mary Polak, released 16 pages of detailed notes in which Plecas seemed to indicate he would use the Police Act to launch another investigation into the legislature’s internal police services.
On Friday, Polak said only the Speaker “knows for certain” what that might involve.
During the meeting, Plecas alluded to issues with police services, but was “cagey” about whether or not an investigation is underway, said Polak. “It was tough to get a yes or no on that.”
Given the comments he made during the meeting, the Liberal MLA said she suspected the Speaker might be intent on “redoing” the investigation that former Supreme Court of Canada chief justice Beverley McLachlin conducted, which Polak said Plecas called “pathetic.”
Polak said the proper way for Plecas to address any suspicions would be to inform the legislative assembly management committee, which could then launch an investigation. If there were criminal issues, he could go to the RCMP.
“He should not be doing this by himself,” she said. “When you go about it as an amateur, it causes nothing but problems.”
Polak also pointed to McLachlin’s report, which concluded that Plecas failed in his duty to properly oversee the legislature staff because he was too focused on conducting a quasi-police probe and his own criminal prosecution.
“He believes he has all sorts of investigative powers, but I don’t believe that,” said Polak, emphasizing that the legislature is a workplace. “In a (typical workplace), a manager wouldn’t be allowed to act this way.”
Plecas declined an interview request and directed inquiries to Mullen. The Speaker’s chief of staff played down the significance of the data collection, saying Plecas is “not looking for anything specific” and simply wanted to ensure that all records are properly stored. He said he recalled five instances in the past where information, documentation and evidence “vanished into thin air.”
Mullen said acting clerk of the legislature, Kate Ryan-Lloyd, and acting sergeant-at-arms, Randy Ennis, “voluntarily” allowed the backup, although the request was made more than once. Ryan-Lloyd has since asked for her backup to be returned to her so that she can store it herself. Mullen said Plecas agreed to the request.
Asked about the legislature police services under the sergeant-at-arms office, Mullen called them a “great group,” but said there remain some “outstanding issues” to be dealt with. He did not elaborate.
Plecas will spend his summer “continuing to cooperate with the RCMP investigation,” contributing to the auditor general’s audit of the legislature and working on a workplace review, said Mullen. “I will say that currently there is no investigation underway.”
