B.C.’s Opposition leader is calling for a bipartisan effort to create transparency at the legislature in the wake of an expense scandal, but the premier scoffed at that, saying the Liberals questioned the Speaker’s legitimacy before the release of his bombshell report.
B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said he’s deeply concerned by the allegations of misspending outlined in the report, which focused on the actions of legislature clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz.
“It’s a grave concern when we see allegations of grossly excessive spending, with no justification. People are entitled to be offended by that,” Wilkinson said.
He asked for co-operation from Premier John Horgan on three proposals:
• That all staff in the legislative assembly post their expenses online, a practice currently required of MLAs.
• That a ban be imposed on foreign travel unless approved six weeks in advance by the legislative assembly management committee.
• That the auditor general thoroughly review legislature accounting procedures.
“People have to trust the institutions of government and when it’s in doubt like it is today, we need to completely clean house,” Wilkinson said.
“So I’m asking Premier Horgan to join me in a non-political effort to stop the sniping over who said what to whom, and clean house around here so that people can trust this institution once again.”
In response, Horgan criticized Wilkinson for calling Speaker Darryl Plecas “rogue” and “out of control” in December before Plecas released his report. Plecas was elected as a Liberal MLA for Abbotsford South, but was kicked out of the Liberal caucus after he agreed to take the Speaker’s job.
“And so today for the leader of the Opposition to say: ‘stand with me’ and defend the indefensible is not something I’m prepared to do,” said Horgan, who accused the Liberals of creating a culture of entitlement during their 16 years in office.
James and Lenz have been suspended with pay since Nov. 20. The two men have said allegations against them are “false and untrue.”
The Speaker’s chief of staff, Alan Mullen, said the RCMP are considering further allegations that aren’t contained in the report. In his report, Plecas detailed lavish trips overseas, money spent on mother-of-pearl cufflinks, $1,000 suitcases and the purchase of a $13,000 wood splitter and work trailer.
Horgan highlighted sections of the report that suggest James was closely aligned with the B.C. Liberal Party, with documents showing he expensed two dozen trips around the province to meet with members of the B.C. Liberal Party, including three meetings with former premier Christy Clark after she left office. Horgan said James never visited him at his home or his office in his 14 years as an MLA.
“To see in the report that Mr. James expensed visits to see a former premier after she left this place, or a former Speaker after he left this place, and allegations of truckloads of alcohol being delivered to a former member of this legislature is absolutely appalling to the people of B.C.,” Horgan said.
Plecas’s report alleges that in the summer of 2013, James instructed three legislature employees to load his pickup truck with more than $10,000 worth of liquor that had been purchased by the legislative assembly. James was reportedly going to deliver the alcohol, a chamber desk and chair, and some personal items to the Okanagan home of former Speaker Bill Barisoff. Barisoff told the Times Colonist no liquor was ever delivered to his home.
Horgan said James was “imposed” on the people of British Columbia when he was handpicked by the Liberals for the clerk’s position, over two people more senior to him.
Following the retirement of longtime clerk George MacMinn in 2011, the Liberal government under then-premier Clark installed James as clerk despite protests from NDP MLAs. The position is a lifetime appointment to ensure the clerk is free from political influence.
The Opposition NDP wanted the clerk’s job posted publicly and an applicant selected by a bipartisan committee.
Wilkinson said he can’t speak to the meetings James had with Liberal party members, and said: “I’m not persuaded there’s been any partisan activity by the people involved in this investigation. The primary concern is their spending habits and the uncontrolled spending that apparently has been going on, which came as a horrible surprise to all of us.”
Excessive spending has been an open secret at the legislature for quite some time, Horgan said, and the presence of an independent Speaker laid the groundwork for exposing it. “For this unique moment in time when we had a genuine independent [Speaker], we were able to get an exposé on the offices that are exempt from freedom of information, are exempt from public scrutiny of expenses,” he said. “So all of that has only been able to happen because of the independence of Mr. Plecas.”
Horgan said much progress has been made since auditor general John Doyle released a scathing report in 2012 that overhauled the public reporting process for MLA expenses.
“Not being able to capture Mr. James in that, I regret very much,” Horgan said, “but I see an opportunity now which is abundantly clear … and I think we should seize that moment and I thank Mr. Plecas for giving us that opportunity.”
Horgan said he believes all offices in the legislature should be subject to freedom of information laws, which currently don’t apply to the legislative assembly. The exception, he said, is for whistleblowers, who should be able to come forward without fear that their concerns will be made public.
