Here's something that flew under the radar: last Wednesday, when the premier was questioned about the Prem Vinning affair, he told BCTV "I heard yesterday about the situation. And Prem was asked about it. He told the truth about it." In other words, Gordon Campbell knew Mr. Vinning used a fake name during a call-in show a day before the media reported on the affair. Yet the veteran Indo-Canadian political organizer was still working in the premier's office. So does that mean the premier condoned his behaviour? And did Mr. Vinning resign only because the media found out what happened?

The New Democrats pride themselves on being the champions of ethnic equality. So one wonders what the politically-correct crowd thinks about the fact white boys have been nominated as the party's provincial election candidates in Vancouver-Hastings (Shane Simpson), Vancouver-Kensington (David Chudnovsky) and Vancouver-Kingsway (Adrian Dix). After all, these constituencies have a high percentage of visible minority residents - making up 53, 71 and 74 percent of those ridings, respectively. Then again, the New Democrats would never suggest a white person is incapable of representing the interests of minority groups - would they?

As you may or may not have heard (probably the latter), infamous federal Liberal non-candidate Tony Kuo announced on Friday he wants to run for the provincial New Democrats in Burnaby-Willingdon. Now normally an outsider wouldn't have much chance of winning a nomination in a party that's run like a closed union shop. But Mr. Kuo, who calls himself Mr. Democracy, must be feeling pretty darn good about his chances. Because, in a news release sent out last week, he informed the media multitude "I will have more to say on February 20, 2005 at the nomination meeting and upon my return of my family holiday from January 28, 2005 to February 14, 2005." In related news, Martinite high priest Mark Marissen was spotted doing cartwheels in the street upon finding out Mr. Kuo would officially be another party's problem. The following is a complete copy of the release.

Tony KUO, MBA
"Mr. Democracy"
304 - 4505 Grange Street, Burnaby, BC, Canada V3L 3C5
Tel: 604-313-8178
Fax: 604-436-0695
Email: kuocanada@shaw.ca
Website: www.tonykuo.ca

For Immediate Release

January 28, 2005

Burnaby-Tony Kuo wishes to announce that he has filed his papers to seek the BC New Democratic Party Nomination in the riding of Burnaby-Willingdon on February 20, 2005.

The issues are:

* Lack of Health care and Education
* Effective voice for the people of Burnaby-Willingdon
* Minority Rights in BC Politics
* Lack of investment in Burnaby-Willingdon for the last four years

I will have more to say on February 20, 2005 at the nomination meeting and upon my return of my family holiday from January 28, 2005 to February 14, 2005.

Contact
Gerry Eggert
604-313-8178

The romance between Attorney General Geoff Plant and the provincial government's treaty negotiation office seems to have hit a rough patch. According to our snitches in the civil service, the office's deputy minister Lorne Brownsey is rumoured to have informed the minister there would be no final treaties signed before the election. That statement apparently didn't over well with Attorney General Plant, resulting in hurt feelings on both sides.

Yet another male joined the provincial New Democrat's election team yesterday. Ex-Williams Lake city councillor Charles Wyse beat out former Quensel Women's Resource Centre executive director Alice Stoddard to win the nomination in Cariboo South, 180 votes to 73. Of the 32 candidates nominated so far, six (19 percent) have been women.

More provincial New Democrat nomination results: in Alberni-Qualicum, Alberni and District Labour Council vice-president David Thompson won on the fourth ballot, with peace activist Norma Emerson coming in second; in Comox Valley, teacher Andrew Black smoked Comox-Strathcona Regional District director Barbara Price and two other candidates on the first ballot; in New Westminster, city councillor Chuck Puchmayr beat federal New Democrat New Westminster-Coquitlam 2004 election candidate Steve McClurg; and in Prince George-Mount Robson, Prince George and District Labour Council president Wayne Mills defeated University of Northern British Columbia First Nations Centre instructor and academic advisor Molly Eichar. Public Eye hasn't yet heard word from Cariboo South, where former Quensel Women's Resource Centre executive director Alice Stoddard was running against former Williams Lake city councillor Charles Wyse.

The Coalition of Progressive Electors sugar-free organizers are having a very bad month. Earlier, their favoured candidate in Vancouver-Kensington, Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 378 staff representative Kelly Quinn was defeated by former British Columbia Teachers' Federation president David Chudnovsky. And now the coalition's diet faction has suffered another loss in Vancouver-Hastings. According to our spies, Opposition caucus outreach coordinator Raj Sihota, who appeared on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. show The Making of a Political Animal, came in last on the first ballot with 221 votes. That put prison guard Tony Kosovic in second place with 227 votes and community activist Shane Simpson in first with 368. Mr. Simpson then went on to win the nomination on the second ballot, receiving 395 votes to Mr. Kosovic's 156.

Today, the provincial New Democrats put out a news release touting the fact "financial reports released by Elections BC show the New Democrats are the 'people's choice' when it comes to making political donations." The reason: because "of the $2.5 million dollars raised by the party in the first ten months of 2004, more than $2.0 million dollars came from individuals." But what the release fails to mention is that union donations, on a percentage basis, are up significantly compared with their last annual report. In 2003, just 4.3 percent of the party's contributions came from the labour movement. But, now that we're getting closer to an election, that number has jumped to 14.4 percent in the first ten months of 2004.

Last week, Province columnist Michael Smyth, acting on anonymous phone calls, reported Victoria-Hillside election candidate Rob Fleming had been a member of the International Socialists. But, in a candid interview with Public Eye, Mr. Fleming says he thinks British Columbians have a right to know about the other skeleton in his closet: while running to become the University of Victoria Students' Society's finance director eight years ago, he impersonated an election official to get his opponents' signs torn down.

Here's what happened: by the last week of the 1997 student election, the race between the right-leaning Putting Students First slate and the left-leaning A Strong Student Voice slate had turned downright nasty. Mr. Fleming, a member of the student voice slate, says the left's signs were being destroyed on a nightly basis. And his team suspected deputy chief electoral officer was bending the rules in favour of the right.

Of particular concern: the placement of two banners hanging from the second floor of the Commons Block building promoting right-wing candidates Kelly Sundberg and Ian Flemmington - banners which student voice members thought violated election rules. But when they weren't removed, Mr. Fleming left a message on the university janitorial service's answering machine late one night, claiming to be an electoral officer and ordering the signs torn down.

"It was poor judgement," the now Victoria city councillor said. "And we felt that others were getting away with things and not being punished. So we took the law into our own hands. It was a very vigilante-type action. And it made things worse in the campaign. And it was stupid."

Mr. Fleming was disqualified for his actions but the left-wing dominated student council overturned that decision and he won the election, earning him a $19,000 per year job. The whole affair was reported in The Martlet, the Times Colonist and on CH Television.

Reflecting on the experience, Mr. Fleming said, "There was a lot of pranks and trickery going on," during the election. "And I made the mistake - and it's personally embarassing to me - of getting down in the gutter and abandoning sportsmanship against my opponents. It was a bit of a wake-up call for me personally in terms of the way I've approached politics since."

"I think you should acknowledge your opponents strengths and be generous and try and bring some honour to the process because that's what the people want. And if you act with bad will and intentions you reap what you sow...And what I learned is that the high road is the best road to travel in politics. And that's something that was an absolute operating principle during my recent campaign in Victoria-Hillside."

Mr. Fleming added that, after the incident, "I worked very hard at repairing relationships and worked very hard at the students' society to put it in good shape. So that even people who felt bitter that I had won election would at least respect the work I did. And I think I achieved that."

Veteran political organizer Prem Vinning may not have been on the public payroll when he quit his new job in the premier's office yesterday afternoon. But it seems he was already knee-deep doing electioneering on behalf of the provincial Liberals. As Public Eye and The Indo-Canadian Voice previously reported, Mr. Vinning attended a meeting on December 11, where Gordon Campbell met with Indo-Canadian leaders to discuss improving relations with their community. But it turns out Mr. Vinning, a friend of former finance minister and Liberal re-election committee co-chair Gary Collins, was doing much more than just filling a chair.

According to our spies, the number of Indo-Canadian leaders invited was so large that the meeting had to be split into two sessions - one at 1:00 and the other at 3:00 in the afternoon. Mr. Vinning and former provincial cabinet minister Gulzar Cheema were the only two non-elected officials who attended both meetings, with Mr. Cheema sitting away from the boardroom table.

Attendees noticed that, when it was Mr. Vinning's turn to speak during the first session, he simply said, "I have been out of touch with politics because I have been in the Interior on business" before going silent. And he didn't speak at all during the second session. But Mr. Vinning did take a copious amount of notes on what others were saying - the actions of an operative rather than a participant. Following the meetings, attendees received follow-up calls from Mr. Vinning, asking for their feedback and drumming up support for the premier.

Whether that electioneering continues following yesterday's events remains to be seen.

It appears political strategist Greg Lyle may have left the provincial Liberal's re-election team the same way he arrived - silently. When asked about rumours he was no longer working for the Grits, Mr. Lyle told Public Eye, "I can neither confirm nor deny." The Liberals have repeatedly refused to disclose who's on that team, classifying the information as "strategic."

This is kind of creepy. It looks like the mind control experts at the British Columbia Federation of Labour are running a workshop called "Talking Points" this Saturday for anyone who wants to "learn how to convince your co-workers, friends, and family to join the movement to defeat Gordon Campbell's Liberal government." According to a message circulated on the Vancouver and District Labour Council's email list, attendees will "come away from this workshop with some new tips and techniques in the art of persuasion." And guess who's responsible for organizing the event? Why it's none other than the federation's favourite regional political coordinator Mable Elmore, who has had some interesting battles with Zionists in the workplace. The following is a complete copy of the email.

"TALKING POLITICS"

a workshop

Learn how to convince your co-workers, friends, and family to join the movement to defeat Gordon Campbell's Liberal government. You'll come away from this workshop with some new tips and techniques in the art of persuasion. You'll have honed your arguments for getting involved in the election and you'll have practiced your debating skills!

DATE: Saturday, January 29, 2005

TIME: 1:00 - 5:00 PM

PLACE: B.C. Federation of Labour, 200 - 5118 Joyce Street, Vancouver (beside the Joyce Skytrain station)

To register please call Mable Elmore at 604-430-1421 or email at melmore@bcfed.com

At this hour, CKNW is reporting "a veteran political organizer has decided not to take a new job in the office of Premier Gordon Campbell after admitting he used a fake name while placing a call to Campbell on a TV talk show." The station adds, Opposition leader Joy MacPhail "doesn't buy the government's claim that (Prem) Vinning wasn't officially on the job." Interesting Ms. MacPhail should mention that because, when Public Eye phoned the premier's office in Vancouver on Tuesday and asked to speak with Mr. Vinning, the very helpful receptionist there informed us, "I'm not sure where he is today. He was using an office here yesterday. I'm not sure where he is today...I don't know that he's going to have a permanent office out of here. I do not know what the situation is. I just know that he was here yesterday at the invitation of the premier."

Public Eye has learned the premier's new director of Asia-Pacific trade and economic development Prem Vinning, a veteran federal Liberal organizer, has resigned - three days after being hired. That decision comes just hours after Public Eye revealed Mr. Vinning used a different name other than his own when phoning in a question to a weekend Channel M call-in-show featuring Premier Gordon Campbell.

In a taped interview, a veteran Indo-Canadian political organizer admitted he used a different name than his own when phoning in a question to a weekend Channel M call-in-show featuring Premier Gordon Campbell. Prem Vinning, who was hired on Monday as a senior staffer in the premier's office, confirmed he called himself Peter when he asked, "I'm in the trucking business and, you know, the economy is going great guns and that's good. But to get my products from the Cariboo into the harbour, the time I lose on my trucking business is just an enormous amount of time. When are you going to do something to move the traffic so we can keep our business going?" Premier Campbell responded "That is a very, very good question..." before answering. When asked about the question, Mr. Vinning explained, "It was me. And some of the guys call me Peter sometimes."

Prem Vinning, a veteran Indo-Canadian political organizer, has been hired as the director of Asia-Pacific trade and economic development in the premier's office - less than four months before an election, Public Eye has exclusively learned. But Mr. Vinning says his job doesn't involve doing any electioneering for the Liberals, although he may be helping out on the campaign trail.

In an interview, Mr. Vinning confirmed he was hired on Monday saying, "The premier has been very open about where we need to go as a province and a country. The two biggest economies in the world today are China and India. The largest working class is in India - out of the entire world. And with the trade issues that we've been having with our good friends next door - softwood, steel, cattle - the premier sees it that we need to diversify" our trade links. And that means encouraging local politicians and businesses to think about trading with Asia, and getting Asians to think about trading with British Columbia.

But Mr. Vinning isn't the only one working on that file. When Public Eye phoned the intergovernmental relations secretariat today and asked who was responsible for Asia-Pacific trade and economic development, we were told international relations director Sukumar Periwal was doing that job.

Mr. Vinning said he hasn't yet been in contact with Mr. Periwal. When asked what his qualifications for the position were, Mr. Vinning joked, "You'll have to ask the premier that question. I think highly of myself. My mother thinks I'm a great guy."

He then added "I have a business background," being the part-owner of Jackpine Forest Products Ltd. "I've been on city hall as a councillor and I've been involved in the political process of this province and somewhat federally too. I understand the intricacies and workings of government. And I come from the Asia-Pacific. And so I think that gives me an ability to relate to countries. And my language skills, I think, would be an asset." He also pointed out he's been involved with an initiative to build Gurward temples across the province, along with his brothers and his late father.

But most of his headlines have been as a federal Liberal operative. Mr. Vinning was considered the Grit's lead British Columbia Indo-Canadian organizer up until to 2000, when he was shutout by the Martinites. He also ran for the Liberals in Surrey North during the 1993 election and was once touted as a possible candidate for Sentate.

However, despite that political background and his past appearance at meetings to discuss improving the provincial Liberal's relationship with the Indo-Canadian community, Mr. Vinning denied his new job would involve doing any electioneering on behalf of the Campbell administration.

"My focus is going to be on the job...talking to the communities about opportunities in India and China and I'll be spending some time with (Minister of State for Immigration and Multiculturalism) Patrick Wong with the Chinese community," said Mr. Vinning. But he did say he would likely be helping the Liberals during the next election. Mr. Vinning denied his new job had anything to do with that work.

In the past, the premier has been caught in a similar situation where it appeared he was using the privileges of a taxpayer-funded office to further his own political ambitions.

In 1993, the Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee reported the then Vancouver mayor admitted his city hall executive assistant Janet Fraser and communications officer Muriel Honey were working on his provincial Liberal leadership campaign - although he said they were using their holidays and time off to do so.

From our vantage point at the base of the Rockpile, Public Eye's telescope has spotted three brave adventurers scaling its gentle but extremely treacherous slopes. Bill "The Boy Wonder" Hepburn has been made the top aide to Minister of State for Immigration and Multiculturalism Patrick Wong. Legislative assistant Terry Lalari, who has strong connections with the Indo-Canadian community, becomes the executive assistant in Minister Wong's office. And Lindsey McCray, special assistant to federal International Trade Minister Jim Peterson, will be parachuting in from a foreign political land to work as Advanced Education Minister Ida Chong's executive assistant.

Much pressing of the flesh last night at The Fairmont Empress's swish Crystal Ballroom, where federal Conservative caucus members schmoozed with the local party rifraf. In addition to giving opinions on Newmarket-Auora MP Belinda Stronach's fashion choices, our spies at the event noted longtime operative Byng Giraud and his followers were spotted passing out buttons and brochures in support of his bid to become one of the party's two national councillors from British Columbia.

His campaign is being co-chaired by retiring Conservative House Leader John Reynolds, the Tory's campaign chair for the next election, and endorsed by Senator Gerry St. Germain. Mr. Giraud, currently a senior project consultant with Partnerships British Columbia, worked as Mr. Reynold's ministerial assistant when he was the Socred's environment minister. He was also the Progressive Conservative's British Columbia campaign manager in 1997 and did the same job for the Canadian Alliance's campaign in 2000.

Following the festivities, those with more stamina continued carousing at the nearby Sticky Wicket Pub and Restaurant.

Today, The Province reported, "Team Harper will be the guests of honour at the Royal B.C. Museum, where the Campbell government is holding a catered reception for the Conservative caucus and their key staffers." Public Eye told you about that reception last week. The tabloid added the Campbell government the Province would be spending up to $5,000 of taxpayer money on the event.

Former Toronto Dominion Securities Inc. chief economist Paul Summerville didn't end up running for the provincial New Democrat nomination in Oak Bay-Gordon Head - in part, because party hierarchs seemed unwilling to forcefully ask his would-be competitor, Greater Victoria school board chair Charley Beresford, to step aside and make room for the late entrant star candidate. But that unwillingness doesn't seem to have hurt Mr. Summerville's feelings because he showed up on Saturday to deliver Ms. Beresford's nominating speech.

Said one insider who attended the coronation, "You know that old rule to make sure nominators don't speak better than the candidate. He broke it. He was very good. Very smooth-tongued. He has a decade of media experience with the BBC and CNN as their go-to-guy for the Asian economy. So for anyone in the room that might have understood he was an option that was being pushed around (to run in Oak Bay-Gordon Head), they might have wondered why he wasn't running." Insiders also tell us Mr. Summerville recently assisted Victoria-Hillside election candidate Rob Fleming prepare his nomination meeting stump speech.

Remember that special caucus meeting BCTV reported on - the one where Premier Gordon Campbell was supposed to announce Attorney General Geoff Plant was resigning? Didn't happen. According to insiders, the premier simply met with caucus to talk about the issues he'd be discussing with the Provincial Congress of B.C., a gathering of MLAs, MPs, senators, municipal representatives and aboriginal leaders at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver.

Those familiar with Attorney General Geoff Plant's thinking say the provincial Liberal minister would be more likely to announce he's not running in the next election rather than resign from cabinet, as is being reported by BCTV. That's consistent with a previous statement he made in December to the Vancouver Sun. So if he's leaving the executive council (and that's by no means certain), it's likely someone else (read: Premier Gordon Campbell) made that decision for him. In other related news, the attorney general is said to be going on a Hawaiian vacation for two weeks in early February, with his wife Janet staying on the tropical island for another two weeks after that. The legislature resumes sitting on February 8.

Much blathering among the chattering classes as to whether and when Attorney General Geoff Plant is resigning. The answer to the latter question: likely not today. After all, the attorney general is currently in Ottawa attending a federal, provincial and territorial justice and emergency management ministers meeting. The following is a copy of the news release announcing that meeting.

Government of Canada

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release
JANUARY 19, 2005

MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND JUSTICE TO MEET IN OTTAWA

Meetings of Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Ministers responsible for Emergency Management and Justice will be held January 24-25, 2005, in Ottawa.

The first part of the meetings will bring together Ministers responsible for Emergency Management who will discuss ways to enhance Canada’s emergency preparedness. The second part will be focused on key justice system issues.

There will be a photo opportunity at the start of the meetings on Monday and Tuesday morning (8:15 a.m.) and news conferences will be held in the Laurier Room .
DATE

January 24 - 25, 2005

TIME

PHOTO-OPS:
8:15 a.m.

NEWS CONFERENCES

Emergency Management:
Monday Jan 24, 1:00 p.m.

Justice:
Tuesday Jan 25, 2:45 p.m.

LOCATION

Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Laurier Room
1, Rideau St., Ottawa

INFORMATION:

Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communication
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Alex Swann
Director of Communications
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
(613) 991-2863

BCTV is reporting "Premier Gordon Campbell is expected to call a special caucus meeting later this morning where sources say he will announce the resignation of Attorney General Geoff Plant." If that happens, the premier has few options when it comes to picking a replacement. After all, the Liberals are a bit light on lawyers. Government members with law degrees include backbenchers Bill Bennett, Tony Bhullar and Blair Suffredine, Education Minister Tom Christensen, Forest Minister Mike de Jong and parliamentary secretary Barry Penner. Most insiders are betting Minister Christensen gets the job. But another line of thought suggests Minister de Jong may become attorney general. Interestingly, Messrs. Bhullar, Christensen and Penner all attended the University of Victoria's law school at or around the same time.

Will the provincial government's executive council be getting a new member? The answer is yes, according to gossipmongers who tell us backbencher Patty Sahota is being promoted to cabinet - possibly as early as tomorrow morning. If those rumours are true, the Burnaby-Edmunds MLA's promotion will be viewed as a double-barreled attempt to shore up Liberal support among both women and the Indo-Canadian community. Ms. Sahota recently made headlines following a scrap with former New Democrat cabinet minister Harry Lali in the Indo-Canadian Voice.

The vacillations of Lord David of Anderson continue. Those close to the Victoria MP say the former federal Liberal cabinet minister, who looked like he would be soon retiring, is now telling party members he'll be running in the next election. In fact, he's even saying kind words behind Prime Minister Paul Martin's back (we're good friends, he's more concerned about domestic issues, I'm going to be the environment minister again and so on). But that messaging doesn't seem to have deterred his constituency association from searching for a replacement. Our spies tell us the Liberal's national vice-president (British Columbia) Sharon Apsey recently met with Victoria mayor Alan Lowe to discuss succeeding Lord Anderson as the Liberal candidate for Victoria. Mr. Lowe is among several hopefuls said to be interested in the job.

Lefties aren't exactly known for their ability to laugh at themselves. After all, pursuing the cause of social justice is very serious business (big frowns everyone). But there's always exceptions to every rule. Over at Babble, the progressive crowd is currently discussing whether labour organizer Kelly Quinn's criminal record contributed to her defeat during the Vancouver-Kensington nomination race. That discussion prompted one wit to point out, "if it was divulged that (Premier) Gordon Campbell used a coathanger to steal a pack of Juicy Fruit from a vending machine in 1971, there'd be no fewer than three different threads on babble calling for his immediate resignation, and two more complaining that he won't be getting any jail time for it."

Moments ago, we speculated Premier Gordon Campbell's upcoming reception for the visiting national Conservative caucus would provide an excellent opportunity for the professional protesting classes to demonstrate against two right-wing parties at the same time. And now it seems the effort to organize that demonstration is already underway...sortof. In a comment posted on Public Eye, Young New Democrat Scott Hart reports his federal Liberal counterparts are "trying to organize a 'non-partisan' protest" for January 25.

According Mr. Hart, the Young Liberals approached the New Democrats about joining that protest. But "we laughed at them." He then goes onto observe the Young Liberals "made fools of themsevles" when they organized a similar protest against Conservative leader Stepher Harper during the last election - at least, based on Public Eye's coverage of the event. Fascinating. We would be curious to know whether our informed readership can think of any good political reasons why the Young New Democrats should change their mind and join the demonstration. Give them a bit of a hand folks.

Let us, for a moment, do some strategic thinking on behalf of the Campbell administration. Earlier this week, Public Eye reported the premier had personally invited his MLAs to attend a reception at the Royal British Columbia Museum "in honour of the National Caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada." Hmmm...two right-wing parties in the same place, at the same time, right in the middle of a New Democrat stronghold. Boy oh, the professional protesting classes must be salivating over that prospect. But, wait, there's more.

Today, the Canadian Press is reporting "The Conservative party will launch a national advertising campaign this week, targeting Canadian ethnic groups with the party's stand against gay marriage" So it shouldn't too hard for the professional protesters to convince gay rights activists to join whatever demonstration they're planning for January 25. Oh, and wait, won't that raise the issue of whether the Campbell administration is being taken over by social conservatives? Public Eye could go on but we think you get the idea.

Last week, Public Eye reported whispers high-profile police reform advocate and fashion designer Julie Berg was thinking about running for the New Democrats, possibly in Premier Gordon Campbell's riding of Vancouver-Point Grey. Today, The Province followed-up by interviewing Ms. Berg who said, "she may take a shot at an NDP nomination, possibly in Campbell's Vancouver-Point Grey riding."

Word coming out of today's provincial government caucus meeting, held at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, is that former children and family development minister Gordon Hogg has been elected the new caucus chair. Mr. Hogg, who resigned from cabinet last year over the Doug Walls affair, beat out Alberni-Qualicum MLA Gillian Trumper for the job. He'll be replacing Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Wendy McMahon. Mr. Hogg is said to have been Premier Gordon Campbell's favoured candidate.

Red guards disappointed by moderate Victoria city councillor Rob Fleming's New Democrat nomination victory in Victoria-Hillside will be cheered by this news. Former British Columbia Teachers' Federation president and class warrior David Chudnovsky has taken the Vancouver-Kensington nomination on the first ballot, with 246 votes out of 444 cast. Our spies report British Columbia Cancer Agency lab technician Ravinderjit Shergill got 98 votes and Umendra Singh, owner/editor of The Asian Star, received 67. Labour organizer Kelly Quinn, who had been the target of an apparent whisper campaign, came in last with 33 ballots being cast in her favour.

The provincial Liberals are giving the New Democrats a huge photo opportunity on the eve of the upcoming election. Today, government caucus members received a personal invitation from Premier Gordon Campbell to attend "a reception in honour of the National Caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada" at the Royal British Columbia Museum on January 25. The Conservatives are in Victoria for their annual caucus retreat. Premier Campbell's invitiation and the reception will likely be used as evidence by those looking to confirm the Liberal's rightward drift. But an insider says the premier would also be inviting MLAs to a reception with the federal Grits if Prime Minister Paul Martin and his crew were in town. The following is a copy of that invitiation.

The Honourable Gordon Campbell Premier of British Columbia requests the pleasure of your company at a reception in honour of the National Caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada at the Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Bellville Street, Victoria, BC, on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 5:30 p.m.

Please present this invitation at the reception registration table

Dress: business attire

It looks like the provincial Liberals are showing an increasing interest in the concerns of ordinary British Columbians - 119 days before the next election. According to our spies in Saanich South, residents have been receiving phone calls from the party asking them the following question: "With the legislature sitting soon, what issues can Susan Brice, your BC Liberal MLA, raise on your behalf?" In an interview today, party communication officer Chad Pederson confirmed the MLA-initiated polling operation, adding that similar surveys are taking place in other ridings across the province.

The West Annex has a new (willing) occupant. Government caucus executive director Steve Vanagas, who has been scurrilously accused of being a "pretty nice guy," has become the premier's deputy chief of staff responsible for (strategic) communications. Mr. Vanagas is best known for previously being a reporter with the now defunct BC Report magazine. But our spies tell us, during his troubled left-leaning youth, he was also the leader of an armed communist cell in Nicaragua (as well as being editor of the Fraser Institute's Canadian Student Review). Shocking! Meanwhile, Public Eye has heard our good friend and biggest fan Tom Syer, the premier's director of issues management, gets a name promotion to deputy chief of staff - putting him on an equal organizational chart footing with Lara Dauphinee and Mr. Vanagas.

Last year, Public Eye reported on the existence of the Octagon, an influential association of capital city conservatives who have been having lunch every Friday for the past seven years. But now it seems they have a bit of competition. Former Victoria federal Conservative nomination candidate Faith Collins, who is looking to run in the next election, announced over the weekend she's starting up her own Friday lunch group for right-wingers, this one meeting at the Sticky Wicket Pub and Restaurant. Of course, this would have absolutely nothing to do with the fact Ms. Collins' husband Jim was kicked out of the Octagon a couple months ago.

Earlier today, Public Eye reported that, when British Columbians visit the provincial Liberal's MLA Website, the first elected member who appears on the page is none other than headquarters favourite Solicitor General Rich Coleman. But, a couple hours later, it appears that's no longer the case. After a brief period where the page was inaccessible, followed by an even shorter period where backbencher Val Anderson's bio was front and centre, it seems Richard Stewart, the MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville, has replaced the solicitor general as the Liberal's cover boy. So the question is now: does Mr. Stewart secretly have leadership ambitions (we're just kidding, of course)?

Last week, Public Eye reported "in a frank and admirably honest interview" provincial New Democrat Vancouver-Kensington nomination candidate Kelly Quinn disclosed she was convicted of assaulting a police officer 23 years ago. Rumours about Ms. Quinn's criminal record have been circulating as part of what appears to be a whisper campaign against the labour organizer, who is running in a tightly-contested race. But Public Eye has since learned, via an anonymous posting on this site and party insiders, that Ms. Quinn failed to mention she was convincted of another offense.

Speaking to us today, Ms. Quinn confirmed, when she was 19, she served 30 days in jail after being found guilty on a theft charge. Ms. Quinn said she was charged after being caught shoplifting a leather jacket worth over $500.

"It's clearly obvious that I had several rough years in my mid-teens and early twenties, as the criminal record demonstrates. And this incident was part of it. And, of course, I regret it. It was stupid. And it was 24 years ago," said Ms. Quinn, 43.

When asked why she didn't disclose the convinction during her first interview with Public Eye, an emotional Ms. Quinn said, "I'm really uncomfortable with all of this. Because, for one, I've applied for a pardon. And once that's through, the record is sealed. So I'm really feeling like this is unfair on a lot of levels."

"But I was scared. I figured we could put it to rest - the fact that I had a criminal record - by divulging what you asked. And I thought that would get rid of it. But clearly I made a mistake on that one as well."

"I've worked hard for 20 something years now. And all of that is being put aside for a couple things I did as a teenager in my early twenties. And I guess that's what really bothers me. Because I've done a lot for my community and a lot more for people than what happened in those young years. So I'm really hurt by this."

Ms. Quinn added there was nothing else to disclose. The Vancouver-Kensington constituency association holds its nomination meeting tomorrow.

Like most parties, the provincial Liberals' Website includes a listing of their elected members. But what's interesting is that when you load up that section of the site, the first MLA who appears isn't Sustainable Resource Management Minister George Abbot - alphabetically the first member of the Liberal caucus. Nor is it Premier Gordon Campbell, the leader of the party. It's actually Solicitor General Rich Coleman. And this has been the case since Public Eye first started paying attention to the page on Saturday. Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact Liberal headquarters is principally staffed by meat-eaters - some of whom have strong connections to the Coleman camp.

This weekend, Democratic Reform BC (which was previously known as the British Columbia Democratic Coalition), held its first policy convention in White Rock. At the time, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation reported Surrey-Whalley MLA Elayne Brenzinger attended the convention, saying she will make a formal announcement this week on her continued involvement with the new party. That has yet to happen. But it seems the party's Webmaster may know something we don't know.

An observant reader has pointed out the Democratic Reform BC site already lists Ms. Brenzinger as part of the campaign team. According to the site, "despite being the DRBC's lone MLA in a legislature surrounded by ideologically extreme parties, Elayne Brenzinger doesn't shy away from speaking up for her constituents and British Columbians." Um, yeah. That's one way of putting it.

At the Victoria-Hillside provincial New Democrat nomination meeting, party leader Carole James said she believes the "politicians of British Columbia have a choice. We can exploit the divisions that naturally exist in our province or we can bridge them. Mr. Campbell believes in burning bridges and I plan to build those bridges." It's a message she delivered many times before. But, increasingly, it seems many of her supporters don't think that promise should include spanning the widening gulf that exists between Ms. James' party and the Liberals - unfortunate, since it is this gap which many British Columbians are really concerned about.

For example, during the same meeting, the chair Bruce Partridge described Premier Gordon Campbell as "evil" and then went onto say he wouldn't mention sitting MLA Sheila Orr's name because "I don't want to pollute the place." Ouch. Of course, Mr. Partridge isn't the only New Democrat with an acid tongue. Attacks of this kind are par for the course during an election year. And the Grits will do their own share of name-calling, as they have in the past. But the vitirol behind the New Democrat's rhetoric could make it increasingly difficult for Ms. James to continue selling herself as the great conciliator, opening up a possible angle of attack for the Liberals.

It seems the provincial New Democrat leader Carole James' is having some difficulty pronouncing the words moderate and middle. In a scrum at the Victoria-Hillside nomination meeting, CKNW legislative bureau chief Sean Leslie asked Ms. James what city councilor Rob Fleming's victory said about the direction of the party. But Ms. James seemed to have some difficulty answering that question, despite repeated follow-up questions from Public Eye asking specifically whether the victory represented a shift to the moderate middle. She eventually settled on saying the win was a "significant decision by the people of Victoria-Hillside" and describing Mr. Fleming's and her own views as being "balanced."

An insider explained to us Ms. James, who has always been more interested in conciliation than confrontation, couldn't directly say Mr. Fleming's nomination was a moderate victory because she wants to keep the traditionalists within the party onside. Fair enough.

But, going into an election, one wonders whether Ms. James should be worrying less about what her supporters think and more about what British Columbians think. After all, it's going to be a bit difficult for her to convince voters the New Democrats are moving in a moderate direction if Ms. James feels the need to hide behind code words like "balanced" to describe her views - even if all her policies are pointing to the middle. The following is a transcript of the scrum.

***

Media Rob Fleming over no-mushy middle Steve Orcherton, Carole - what does that say about the direction of the party?

Ms. James Well the people in the constituency make the choice, not the leader. But, obviously, Rob's experience - his experience on city council. He's represented this community before. And people saw that as a good strong support. And I'm very pleased that we've got Rob today.

Media But I'm not sure whether that's the answer to the question. I mean, I think the question is whether (Mr. Fleming's election) is representative of a move to the moderate middle or (as some call it) the mushy middle? What do you think about that? I mean, you can say that the voters in this riding made up their mind. But do you think this represents a larger movement within the party?

Ms. James Well, in fact, it may be Steve and others using the mushy middle and the left or right. That's not what I hear British Columbians talking about. They want MLAs who are hard-working, who have shown their experience or represent the community well. And we have that in Rob Fleming today. I've very pleased. And I certainly hope that Steve will get involved and help in the campaign. We're going to need everybody together in this campaign…

Media I'm still not sure whether that's answering the question...

Mr. Fleming Are you calling me mushy?

(Laughter)

Media I ask again. Following up on Sean's question, is this a move to the moderate middle?

Ms. James This was a significant decision by the people of Victoria-Hillside that they wanted a new face to represent them. They wanted to support the values that Rob Fleming put here today. Some people will describe those values as more moderate. Some people will describe them as the middle. I think they're values that I've been putting forward as a leader since last November. They're values that I think New Democrats believe in. And I think they're values that I believe in.

Media And you call those values moderate?

Ms. James I call those values balanced. They're balanced because I think they represent the balance of views out there by British Columbians. People are looking for a party and a government that represents fiscal responsibility, that will balance the budget and that has a social conscience that will support social justice. That's what we're representing. And people get into a debate about what that means. To me, that's a balanced approach. That's a practical, pragmatic approach. And that's the values that I represent and that I've heard Rob represent.

Lots of provincial New Democrat nomination results today. Kalum Horseshoe Community School Society employee Robin Austin won Skeena, beating out Helmut Giesbrecht on the third ballot. According to our spies, the former MLA seems to have been the victim of an anyone-but-Giesbrecht movement. Meanwhile, in Victoria-Hillside, city councillor Rob Fleming narrowly defeated Steve Orcherton, another member of the ex-MLA club, winning 261 out of 461 ballots cast. And, as reported on Babble, Vancouver city councillor Tim Stevenson, also a former legislative member, got the nod in Vancouver-Burrard, squeaking past British Columbia Hydro Corp. administrator Allison McDonald - 196 votes to 155.

The provincial New Democrat nomination race in Vancouver-Kensington seems to be headed down a dirty road, just five days before the constituency association's candidate selection meeting. An apparent whisper campaign against candidate Kelly Quinn is alleging the union organizer has a past criminal record. But, in a frank and admirably honest interview with Public Eye, Ms. Quinn put those rumours to rest, confirming she was convicted of assaulting a police officer 23 years ago.

Ms. Quinn explained that, when she was 21, she was caught in the middle of a barroom brawl in Edmonton. The police arrived and started hauling bar patrons outside, including her and a friend. Ms. Quinn says the friend, a troubled underage youth, was being harassed by the police for identification. She tried to intervene. Her friend ran away and a scuffle broke out, during which Ms. Quinn kneed one of the policemen in the groin. She pled guilty and was fined $500, plus community service.

"With a bad mix of youth and alcohol that was over 20 years ago, I've learned some valuable lessons from this," said Ms. Quinn. "I regret this incident. And I've worked hard to become a public servant and a role model for my daughter Catherine. If anything, these lessons learned will make me a more compassionate MLA for the people of Vancouver-Kensington."

Ms. Quinn added she disclosed her conviction to her riding's candidate search committee in August and informed the provincial executive about a month later. She applied for a pardon back in May, but it still waiting for the papers to be approved. A number of British Columbia politicians, both past and present, have had run-ins with the law, including the premier.

CKNW is reporting "Premier Gordon Campbell may take to the airwaves in a televised address in the coming months. The premier says he has not made a final decision on that yet...Campbell says if he goes ahead with the address it will be paid by the Liberal Party and not by the government." Public Eye told you about that address earlier today.

Premier Gordon Campbell may soon be having a fireside chat with British Columbians. According to the rumourmill, government hierarchs are considering buying a half hour of airtime for the premier to make a province-wide address - possibly around budget time or the opening of the legislature. Money for the chat would come from party coffers rather than taxpayers.

Earlier, Public Eye reported government caucus members wouldn't be meeting until January 19. But their cabinet colleagues are getting together a bit earlier. Today, in Vancouver, the executive council is having having their first post-Christmas pow-wow. Of course, don't expect to see the proceedings broadcast on Hansard TV. This is a real cabinet meeting as opposed to an open one.

Yesterday, Public Eye reported a new editor-in-chief for the Times Colonist had been chosen. And now our spies tell us the successful candidate is Lucinda Chodan. Ms. Chodan was most recently deputy editor at The Gazette in Montreal, having also been the newspaper's readership development editor. She was promoted to that position in 2002, previously serving as the newspaper's assistant managing editor (features) and entertainment editor (among other jobs).

High-profile police reform activist Julie Berg is said to be considering running for a provincial New Democrat nomination, possibly in Premier Gordon Campbell's riding of Vancouver-Point Grey. And, according to the rumour mill, discussions are already underway between party hierarchs and the Vancouver fashion designer. The articulate Ms. Berg first made headlines in the winter of 2003 when she alleged Constable David Bruce-Thomas beat her brother to death in a back alley. An internal investigation cleared the constable but the police complaint commission is currently reviewing the matter. Ms. Berg, who has become an advocate for overhauling the commission, could pose a significant threat to the Liberals should she decide to run, forcing Premier Campbell to spend more time in his riding during the election.

The Vancouver Sun is bringing disciplinary action against real estate business reporter Wyng Chow, Public Eye has learned. The action was taken based on information provided to the Sun's editor-in-chief Patricia Graham via an anonymous phone call she received in ear