This is post number 2,000 on Public Eye. So now would seem to be an appropriate time to get into the holiday spirit. Muckraking will be sporadic until Janaury 2, notwithstanding another raid on the legislature. Best of the season everyone!

While you were out Christmas shopping last night, the Surrey North federal Conservatives were holding their candidate selection meeting. So who's going to be running against incumbent New Democrat Penny Priddy? Answer: Dona Cadman, of course - the woman who endorsed Ms. Priddy in the last election. Fancy that! Ms. Cadman defeated lawyer Alex Dantzer for that nomination.

One of the Rockpile's best known boulders is leaving the legislative precincts. Shane Mills, who is best known for having been the provincial Liberal's caucus communications director, has tendered his resignation as Minister of State for Mining Bill Bennett's senior political aide. Mr. Mills, who was the editor of the Prince George Free Press before becoming a flack, is going back to being a hack. He'll be working for a media outlet in the Lower Mainland.

It seems the provincial New Democrats may actually be in a position to hire a new communications director and research director early in the New Year. Interviews for both jobs got underway last week and are expected to end sometime in the first few weeks of January. Meanwhile, our understanding is that the New Democrats will not be hiring a replacement for Scott Perchall. Instead, his duties as the leader's press secretary will be shared between senior communications officer Rich Overgaard and senior communications advisor Jim Rutkowski.

The former bookkeeper for two prominent, federally financed aboriginal organizations has been accused of fraud, resulting in alleged combined losses of just under $900,000, Public Eye has exclusively learned. Yesterday, West Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Paul Skelton confirmed Craig Morrison, 29, - the financial and office manager for the British Columbia Aboriginal Fisheries Commission and the Aboriginal Council of British Columbia at the time of the alleged offences - was charged with multiple counts of fraud in excess of $5,000 last month. That fraud is said to have been perpetrated on the two sister organizations - which share staff and an office - between November 25, 2002 and November 2005. The matter was brought to the police's attention December 1, 2005.

In an interview with Public Eye, Chief Ken Malloway - who sits on the board of directors for both organizations - said the commission became aware in October 2005 that some of its bills weren't being paid. That resulted in an internal investigation, which found the commission was in $300,000 of debt and fingered Mr. Morrison. Police were then contacted.

Chief Malloway says the commission has since initiated a restructuring process, putting in new financial controls. But because of the fraud, funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans - which usually amounts to around $600,000 - $700,000 annually - was curtailed to $250,000 this past year and won't be likely restored until that restructuring is complete. Meanwhile, the aboriginal council has also put in new financial controls. As a result, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs agreed in May to resume funding the group – to the tune of just under $600,000.

Also facing fraud charges from the incident is one of Mr. Morrison's acquaintances - Dennis Wells, 51. The two men are scheduled to be arraigned January 18. The charges haven’t been proven in court. A version of this article was originally published in today's edition of 24 hours.

Federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion will be doing some laps around British Columbia political cocktail party circuit next month. The party's three Victoria constituency associations have already announced Mr. Dion will be attending a dinner at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa on January 24 - featuring senior British Columbia caucus members. And it's expected there will be similar events in Vancouver. The following is a copy of the invite to the aforementioned dinner.

Save the date!

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada Tri Riding Association Presidents, Mr Russ Lazaruk, Mr. David Kelly and Dr. Jason Walker we are pleased to pre-announce a visit from our Party Leader the Hon. Stephan Dion.

Jan 24th, 2006
Delta Hotel and Resort - Victoria BC
Dinner, Dancing, Networking and Fun
Time to be announced

Special Guest: The Honourable Stephan Dion - Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Official Opposition
Senior party members including the Dr. Keith Martin MP, BC Senators, BC Caucus members, local dignitaries will also be in attendance.

Price of tickets and a formal invitation to be released shortly.

Save the date!! Let me know if you are interested and a ticket will be put aside we expect this to sell out quickly

Dr. Jason Walker
President
Liberal Party of Canada
Riding Association of Esquimalt Juan de Fuca Dr Keith Martin MP

Astute readers will remember the case of Neil Fahlman, the 19-year-old who was denied assistance by Community Living British Columbia - even though the corporation knew that, without such services, he "would be extremely vulnerable to his own aggressiveness and impulsivity" and could "do significant harm to himself and the community." The reason: Community Living British Columbia restricts its adult services to those with an IQ lower than 70. And Mr. Fahlman's IQ was 79. But a judicial review this past June found the corporation didn't have the legislative authority to use those test results as a screener. That would have been the end of the story - if then children and family development minister Stan Hagen hadn't announced on July 12 that the government would be appealing that decision to the British Columbia Court of Appeal. And what's happened to that appeal, you may wonder? Well, on Friday afternoon, the court dismissed the province's case. But a written reason for the dismal hasn't yet been released.

Back in May, it was suggested Heather Holden be more cautious in avoiding any perceived conflict of interest between her role as a parks board commissioner and her job as the Vancouver Aquarium's fish tracking project executive director. But Ms. Holden won't have to suffer those slings and arrows for much longer. Last Thursday, Ms. Holden was hired as the Fraser Institute's new director of risk, regulation and the environment. In an interview with Public Eye, the commissioner said she was "thrilled and quite excited about this new challenge and opportunity. It's pretty much exactly what I've been working towards. We can do all the research we want. But if no one's thinking about how to put in place these important changes to make our environment more healthy, it's not going to happen." Ms. Holden, who committed during the 2005 election to excuse herself from voting on issues relating to the aquarium, will be starting work at the institute on January 8.

Back in October, Yale-Lilooet provincial New Democrat legislator Harry Lali reportedly
told fellow travellers than his party should quit pretending to be Liberals or Conservatives and start acting like social democrats. But what brought on that ouburst, you may wondered? Well former New Democrat leadership candidate Steve Orcherton has at least one possible explanation. In an interview on Public Eye Radio, Mr. Orcherton said, "I know Harry very well. And Harry is passionate about his politics. And - whenever he talks about politics and public policy - he speaks with a great deal of passion. I think he's experiencing a frustration with being part of a political party that, at this point, in time has taken a strategic decision not to do much - to sit and be quiet and not do a lot and sort of ride along with what's going on. And then 60 or 30 days before the next election will come out with some sort of a platform of ideas. And that will somehow get them elected. And I think that’s a strategy. I happen to think that's wrong the strategy. But I think that's what’s going on. And I think Harry's experiencing that kind of frustration."

And why are the New Democrats pursuing that "sit and be quiet" strategy? Responded Mr. Orcherton, "I see there's a lot of caucus staff that were there when I was there" who were "part of the Clark administration, part of the Dosanjh administration and were part of the decision-making around a lot of the issues that went on during that period of time. They're there now. I think they went through a terrible period of time when they didn't have jobs. And I think they're very, very nervous."

"The political bureaucracy behind the New Democratic party in British Columbia is very, very nervous about being without jobs again," the former Victoria-Hillside legislator continued. "And I think a lot of the political decisions and strategies that are being developed are being developed with a piece of that agenda in play - as well as an overall agenda to try and get elected and those kinds of things. And I think sometimes that personal agenda from those people in leadership positions is influencing the leader of the NDP Carole James in an adverse way."

But Mr. Orcherton added New Democrats aren't the ones with a propensity for caution. Politicians of all stripes are increasingly staying to the mushy middle rather than saying "what it is they believe. They're afraid to take risks" - like the one then Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas took when he introduced public healthcare. "It cost him an election in Saskatchewan." So while that program "came to be a great benefit to all Canadians...I think politicians understand that those risks these days cost them dearly."

But, perhaps more troubling, is the fact that taking such a risk wouldn't even occur to some elected officials. Mr. Orcherton explained there are many who "run for political office not to deal with public policy questions and engage the public in debates about the future but to get a job to become administrators of programs that are already in place....And we see public policy being developed by bureaucrats. And I think that's wrong."

So here's Mr. Orcherton's advice for Ms. James: "Let's get real debate and discussion happening. I don't think we need to be arguing about process. We need to start talking to the public and to the voters and to the people that we represent about real public policy questions - issues that effect them...We need to find solutions. We need to offer ideas."

"It's not good enough, in this day and age, to simply criticize the government and the government party and their members. That's not good enough. You can criticize, yes. But you have to come up with alternatives and ideas and engage in debates and really engage in discussion and start taking a stronger role in terms of public policy. That would be my advice. I predict she will be doing that as we get closer to the election. But my advice would be to start doing it not so close to the election but closer to today."

Earlier, we reported Jennifer Burgis - who unsuccessfully ran for the federal New Democrats in Saanich-Gulf Islands during the past two election - would instead be seeking the party nomination in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. So why the change? In an interview on Public Eye Radio, Ms. Burgis explained, "You might say that the experience that I have provides me with the opportunity to go up against the MP in this area who has a very long term" - refering to incumbent Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Liberal candidate Keith Martin. "And I feel that it is time to try a new and exciting area and build more of the South Island region with the New Democrat policies. And I think Saanich-Gulf Islands is now ready for someone to really advance and take the riding for New Democrats. But I put personally as much as I can into that riding in the last two elections. And I think I've decided I'm up for a challenge now." But surely running against incumbent Saanich-Gulf Islands Conservative candidate Gary Lunn would also be a challenge? So we asked Ms. Burgis again why she was switching ridings.

"I would have to say it had something to do with having a holiday in the Maritimes in September," responded Ms. Burgis. "And that's a pretty far reach perhaps. But I'm an immigrant to this country. And recently you know, when you get into politics, you sort of lose touch with the bigger picture in Canada and what it is you're really trying to do. And I discovered going to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island that I'd forgotten, in parts of Canada, people lost their lives in order to keep us in a democratic country - to build the responsibilities that we want to build in our children. And it was very resonant in me to say that, you are skilled, you know how to do this, let's do it for a third time. And if you're going to do it for a third time, your voice needs to go to Ottawa."

Does that then mean you think you stand a better chance of winning in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, we wondered? After all, past New Democrat candidate Randall Garrison came within 3.6 percentage points of beating Mr. Martin during the last election. "I would say the New Democrats have a very good chance of winning in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. But with the right candidate, I think they can also win in Saanich-Gulf Islands."

But you're not the right candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands? "I think, obviously this time round, I'm not the right candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands," said Ms. Burgis. "I'd like to take on a challenge that is building, meeting new people. I think relating to a different demographic. I find I relate better, perhaps, to a different demographic than there is in Saanich-Gulf Islands" - which has "a much higher per capita income riding than Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. Those things matter when you are the person that talks about children and poverty and what we can do for working class people."

Former British Columbia Marijuana Party general counsel and campaign manager Kirk Tousaw isn't ruling out a run for the federal New Democrat nomination in Vancouver Quadra. When asked about rumours to that affect, Mr. Tousaw told Public Eye, "I'm always interested in seeing what avenues can be taken to further progressive politics in this country." Although "it's probably premature to speculate on (such a run) at this point." Mr. Tousaw later added that, while he's done work for the Marijuana Party and continues to have a solicitor-client relationship with them, he's always been a member of the New Democrats. Vancouver Quadra is presently held by Liberal parliamentarian Stephen Owen.

Tonight, on Public Eye Radio, National Anti-Poverty Organization British Columbia board member W. Robert Arnold will be discussing his proposal to organize "poor people and their allies into a non-partisan voting block." Former Victoria-Hillside provincial New Democrat legislator Steve Orcherton weighs in on the party's performance since the last election. And Wilf Hanni talks to us about what he's been doing since being elected leader of the British Columbia Conservatives. Also on the show: Jennifer Burgis tell us why she wants to run for the New Democrats in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca rather than Saanich-Gulf Islands. And our rabble-rousing panel - Troy DeSouza, Bob Russell, Allan Warnke and Brad Zubyk discuss the week that was in provincial and federal politics. You can listen to Public Eye Radio outside of Victoria by logging into CFAX 1070 between 6:00 and 9:00. If you have a question for one of our guests, you can email us, leave a comment below or phone (250) 386-1161 during the show.

Public Eye will be tending to some holiday responsibilities over the next few days. So posting on Public Eye will be sporadic until Monday.

Citizen Sam, the film documenting Sam Sullivan successful bid to become Vancouver's mayor, hasn't exactly been a public relations coup for the former Non-Partisan Association councillor. Last month, for example, The Vancouver Sun's Doug Ward published a front page story on the controversial contents of that film, such as this quote from the mayor: "I like the fact that people underestimate me. You know, they pat me on the head and then I rip their throat out." So it may come as a surprise to some, that Mayor Sullivan and his supporters and staff attended a screening of the film earlier this evening at Rainmaker Entertainment Group Ltd.'s Vancouver studio. But as fascinating as it would have been to see the expressions on their faces during that screening, we would have been more interested in listening to the conversation at the Opus Hotel - where they gathered before heading to the theatre.

Earlier, we reported provincial New Democrat caucus communications director Jim Rutkowski would be leaving the legislative precincts toward the end of this month. But it seems that departure will be temporary. Mr. Rutowksi, who tendered his resignation to spend more time with his son, will be joining the Opposition's leader office in a new role this coming February. He'll be working Monday through Thursday as a senior communications advisor to Carole James, sharing responsibility for media relations with newly-appointed senior communications officer Rich Overgaard.

The proliferation of corporate titles continues unabated in the Campbell administration. On November 10, Michael MacDougall was appointed the chief operating officer at the ministry of health - a post previously held by Dave Woodward under another name: associate deputy minister. At the same time, children and family development deputy minister Lesley du Toit as hired Donna Knox her chief operating officer - a new position within the ministry. And now word has reached us that Public Service Employers' Council chief executive officer and associate deputy minister Bob de Faye has joined health as its chief administrative officer. And what will the chief administrative officer be doing, you may wonder? The answer: preparing the ministry for the next round of collective bargaining and taking responsibility for its human resources division.

British Columbia's next referendum on electoral reform is scheduled for May 12, 2009 - almost three years away. But those supporting the single transferable vote system aren't waiting till the last minute to get their campaign underway. Fair Voting BC is presently planning to organize a conference in support of that effort immediately following Ontario's October 2007 electoral reform referendum. Activists from across the province will be invited to attend that conference, which will be held in Vancouver.

The federal New Democrat nomination race in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca may already underway. But what's happening over at the Conservative starting line? Well, according to the rumour mill, there was talk that Saanich mayor Frank Leonard might run. But that talk hasn't amounted to any action. Which means Staples McDannold Stewart lawyer Troy DeSouza, who laced up for the party in that riding during last election, is still looking like the best prospect for the Conservatives in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. That is, if he decides to run for the nomination again.

Earlier, we broke the news Randall Garrison won't be running for the federal New Democrats in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca,. So who will be campaigning for the party in that riding you may wonder? Well, former Saanich-Gulf Islands candidate Jennifer Burgis has already committed to seeking that nomination. Others, though would like to see Kevin Macgillivray, who graduated from the University of Victoria's law school in November 2005 and is presently employed with federal justice department, enter the race. But Mr. Macgillvray, one of provincial Esquimalt-Metchosin legislator John Horgan's "heroes" isn't the only speculative candidate being talked up by party members. Former Victoria-Hillside legislator and leadership candidate Steve Orcherton is also on that list.

Federal New Democrat Randall Garrison has come within inches of beating Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Liberal parliamentarian Keith Martin during the past two elections. So some may be a bit surprised to learn Mr. Garrison won't be running in that riding next time the writ is dropped. In an interview with Public Eye, the articulate Camosun College instructor, who moved to Terminal City last summer, confirmed he was approved last Tuesday to run for the New Democrat nomination in Vancouver Centre. A nomination meeting for that riding - which is held by Liberal Hedy Fry - has been schedule for January 21. No other candidates are presently in the race.

National Anti-Poverty Organization British Columbia board member W. Robert Arnold is looking at "organizing poor people and their allies into a non-partisan voting block." In a vision document distributed to fellow travelers, Mr. Arnold estimates there are 750,000 poor people in British Columbia who are eligible to vote. If those people voted as a block, they could "dictate which candidate won in almost any election in the province." And, he writes, if legislators "do not do what we want them to in the first 18 months of their mandate, we can add our votes to those who voted for the losing candidate and effectively use recall to bring down the government if we want to, or just to illustrate our power so that the remainder of the MLA's will begin to obey us." The block, which would have a central office in Victoria and a chapter in each constituency, would focus on the "eradication of poverty" - counterbalancing the power of the "rich and their corporations" in what Mr. Arnold describes as an era ruled by special interest groups. The following is a complete copy of that document.

Vision Piece About Anti-Poverty Electors

As many of you will know there has been some discussion of the idea of organizing poor people and their allies into a non-partisan voting block. This is an idea that I have been hatching for about eight years. I am talking here about an organization for B.C., but it could be done in all the provinces and territories in Canada and, in the future, at the Federal level as well. The numbers I use for this piece are BC numbers, but I am sure the numbers for other places are very similar.

A few years ago I started up a group called Voters for Economic and Social Justice, which continued for three or four years before I got busy with other things and other people got busy as well. The outcome of all this busy-ness was that the group ceased to meet. Now, of course, it is no longer registered with the Registrar of Companies as a non-profit society.

I think part of the problem was the name. It was descriptive; but too long.

At this time I am considering starting up a new group to accomplish the same ends as the VESJ. At this point I am calling the new group the Anti-Poverty Electors. As part of that process I want to share with you my vision for this group and the reasoning behind my belief that it will be a powerful group and will, in the end, eradicate poverty.

Let me just mention that the eradication of poverty is the prime purpose of this group; but not the only purpose that will be fulfilled by its efforts. There will be a lessening of crime, a decrease in abuse of drugs, a decrease in family violence and great advances in environmental protection.

A few years ago I looked at the electoral numbers for B.C. I discovered some interesting things. For instance, fewer than 65% of eligible voters have voted in the last four elections. Fewer than 75% of the registered voters have voted in the past four elections. There is an estimated 3 million and 20 thousand eligible voters in BC. I believe there are some five million people in BC, 20 percent of whom are poor. That means there are one million poor people in BC. If one-quarter of those are children, who cannot vote, 7 hundred and 50 thousand are eligible voters. That is a very large group of voters. It could, if it voted as a block, dictate which candidate won in almost any election in the province.

I believe West Point Gray to be the only constituency where there are not enough poor people to carry the election. Unfortunately, that is Campbell's riding. In the most recent election nearly 60 percent of the eligible voters voted. That means there were about two million votes cast in the election. The election was a close one with 87 percent of the votes going to the two largest parties. Historically, the poor have not voted in great numbers. Four argument's sake let us say that 30 percent of the eligible poor people voted in this election. That would mean that we have half a million new votes to add to the mix in the next election.

I am no mathematician, so I am winging it here. I did have the numbers crunched by a mathematician friend of mine some five elections ago and the story was essentially the same.

About 1.7 million people voted in this election, which is 60.76 percent of the registered voters. The two major parties shared 87 percent of the popular vote, with the winners taking 46 percent. That means they won the election with 46 percent of the 56 percent of eligible voters who voted. That sounds to me like they got about a quarter of the eligible voters to vote for them. That would be about 7 hundred and 50 thousand votes. I am estimating that the Anti-Poverty Electors would consist of at least 7 hundred and 50 thousand voters. We could add our votes to either of the major parties and that party would win in 78 of 79 constituencies in this province.

I am hoping that as part of the discussion about the Anti-Poverty Electors these numbers will be challenged and confirmed or disputed by people who know more about such things than I do. I think the idea is workable.

Enough of the dry numbers game! I would like to proceed now to the philosophy behind this whole idea.

Philosophy

I believe we are now living in an era of rule by special interest group. The special interest group that is now in power is the rich and their corporations. They buy the government they want by contributing to the campaign of the party they want to win. When that party wins the election and forms the government it will, naturally, create legislation that helps the rich and their corporations. We have certainly seen this in the last four years in B.C. Unfortunately, we may see more of it in the next four years.

For many years I worked for and voted for the New Democrats here in B.C. Until I witnessed how they governed this province I was convinced that the New Democrats were the answer. However, when I saw what they did to poor people in this province I quit the party in disgust. It was then that I realized that the political party does not matter. No matter who governs they become Liberals. That is what big business wants them to be and they are addicted to the money they get from big business and/or their counterparts, big unions.

This line of thought has led me to two conclusions that I have applied to the Anti-Poverty Electors. The first is that we must be non-partisan. We must take a candidate, who can win in any given constituency and work for and vote for that candidate. It does not matter which party that candidate belongs to for our purposes. We will essentially own all of the MLA's in the Legislature in any event, and we will be able to tell all of them what we want them to do. If they do not do what we want them to in the first 18 months of their mandate, we can add our votes to those who voted for the losing candidate and effectively use recall to bring down the government if we want to, or just to illustrate our power so that the remainder of the MLA's will begin to obey us. After a few by-elections they will get the message.

The second conclusion is that the Anti-Poverty Electors must never become a political party. If we did become a political party, we would need campaign funds and there lies the path to corruption. I believe that we will wield more power as a voting block than we would as a political party. We must guard against individuals and subgroups within our organization, who may want to get into the political game and run for office. Such people would damage our solidarity, which is so necessary to our success. If anyone wants to get involved in the political game as it is played by the parties, they must not be a member of the Anti-Poverty Electors. Those people would just be hunting for cushy jobs anyway.

This idea works under our present electoral system. I don't know as yet what the effect would be if the system were changed to the STV or some other system. I am assuming that we have such a large chunk of votes that we could still effectively influence the election and use our power to get the government to do what we want it to do. I am hoping that some of the more mathematically minded of you might be able to inform me of the usefulness of this idea under different electoral systems.

In any event, we would have the power to get rid of any electoral method that did not favour our power base.

Structure

Now I would like to talk about a structure of the Anti-Poverty Electors that I have been working on for some time. I would like to see a central office created in Victoria, because it is after all the capital of the province and from here we can have easy access to the Legislature and MLA's. The central office would keep track of membership and be a clearinghouse for information and the main point of communications with the government, the media and the public at large.

In every constituency there would be a Chapter of Anti-Poverty Electors, run by its own board and executive. It would send a percentage of the membership dues to run the Central Office, but it would keep the lion's share to use in growing its membership and keeping its members informed about the progress of the group.

The Anti-Poverty Electors would have and maintain a Website with information and news of interest to the membership. This would be accessible to people from other parts of Canada and, indeed the world, who are interested in this plan. It is my hope that they would start up similar organizations in every Province and Territory in Canada.

At election time each Chapter would each pick a candidate to back and work for and vote for to get them elected. The Chapter should keep in mind that it does not matter what party the candidate represents, so they can either pick the person they like the most or flip a coin. As long as it is a candidate from either of the two major parties, they will be successful in getting them elected.

I can hear the people from the smaller parties yelling now. My answer to them is to get involved in the Anti-Poverty Electors and make sure our program supports your interests. You don't need a Green Party, for instance, if you can make the government properly take care of the environment, which I sincerely hope the Anti-Poverty Electors will do.

People and groups with concerns and points of view can bring them to the Central Office and the discussion of the issue will be shared with the Chapters and a position will be reached, which will become the policy of the organization.

Each Chapter will keep its own membership list and will share it with the Central Office. In this way, we can advise the government of the exact number of votes we have in each constituency, so they will see we have the clout to demand action on our issues.

We can draft changes to existing legislation and draft new legislation and have it brought to the floor of the house by anyone we please. Then, anyone who wants to keep their job will vote for it.

Democracy is Rule by the People. That is what we are going to create.

When we can afford it we will hold a meeting of Chapter Presidents, who will form the Board of the BC Anti-Poverty Electors. At that meeting an executive will be elected to replace the Interim Executive, who will start the organization. There will be no remuneration for being on the Boards of the Chapters or of the BC Board. When we can afford it we will hire an Executive Director and staff for the Office in Victoria. Chapter Offices, will be staffed by volunteers and run by the Chapter Executive with the President being the CEO.

Sample letter to MLA.
Mr. /Ms. Member of the Legislature, we have X number of votes in your Constituency and if you want to retain your seat you will vote "Yes" on the such and such bill. You will be representing your constituency properly if you do this. If you don't, you will soon represent no one.

Signed: APE

The rich and their corporations will no longer rule. They may have the money; but we have the votes.

The people will rule! Think of the possibilities!!

Well, I have written enough for now. I hope to get your comments and concerns soon. I will try to answer them as quickly as possible.

W. Robert Arnold

The federal Liberal's British Columbia biennial convention has been tenatively scheduled to be held on April 20 to 22 at Sun Peaks Resort - more than four months away. But it's never to early to talk about who might run to replace incumbent party president Jamie Elmhirst, who is widely assumed to not be seeking another term in office. Among those being talked up as would-be candidates are the party's former national vice-president Mike Hillman, as well as Heenan Blaikie LLP partner Craig Munroe. Other names being bandied about include Patrick Maloney, who challenged Mr. Elmhirst for the presidency in 2004, as well as Tofino real estate developer and lawyer Alan Beesley, legal coordinator for the Ignatieff campaign during the recent leadership convention in Montreal.

Last month, the World Wildlife Federation held its seventh salmon aquaculture dialogue meeting at Simon Fraser University. That meeting, which brings together environmental and industry representatives, was scheduled to "focus on the relationship between regional or local Canadian initiatives on sustainable salmon culture." So some attendees found it curious that British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association executive director Mary Ellen Walling and provincial government aquaculture development director Al Castledine seemed a bit wall-flowerish during that meeting.

In an interview with Public Eye, Ms. Waling explained her association hasn't "been involved in any of the (World Wildlife Federation) dialogue. So it was my first meeting." And, "as it was my first meeting, I was there to listen. And I think there were some pokes taken at the association. And that's fine. That's just par for the course to be frank. For me, I've done a lot of work on the coast with a whole different range of stakeholders. And I think if you're new to a group it's important to listen more than you speak. And maybe this dialogue in B.C. would be a little further ahead if that approach was taken." That being said, though, Ms. Waling added that association members have been active participants in the dialogue meetings - include Marine Harvest Ltd.

But what about the British Columbia government? Why didn't they speak up more during the dialogue? Said agriculture and lands communications director Liz Bicknell, "It wasn't our forum. And we were not officially invited to participate...And you know that sometimes there are formal opportunities (to speak) and there are less formal opportunities. And by just sitting down and chatting (informally) with people you very often get more information or more things done and you have more of a success. And, in our business, listening as well is a hugely important piece of what it is we do. It's not just always talking. And the analogy I like to use sometimes is we have one mouth but two ears."

As expected, the Kennedy leadership campaign made a strong showing at federal Liberal British Columbia regional vice-president Stephen Kukucha's Sunday afternoon olive branch party. Those at the gathering tell us Dean Crawford, Bob Hans, Letlotlo "Coco" Lefoka, James and Jennifer Hatton, Doug Leung, Craig Munroe, Rikia Saddy, Shannon Salter, Don Stickney and our good friend Prem Vinning all put in an appearance at Mr. Kukucha's Kitsilano home. But the Dion campaign was also there, including Billy Cunningham, Forrest Parlee, Karn Manhas, Mark Marissen, Andrew Phillips and Mike Witherly,

Others in attendance were Ignatieff supporters Bilal Cheema, Swithin D'Souza, Kim Emsley-Leik, Manjot Hallen, Gerry Lenoski, Jatinder Rai - as well as Dryden supporters Roy Bornmann, Thoren Hudyma, Adam Johnson and Sarah Sidhu. And there was a non-partisan contigent featuring party executive director Mark Grant, former provincial returning officer Kim Haakstad and her deputy Michele Cadario. But, somewhat surprisingly, there were only two standard bearers from the Rae campaign: Greg Wilson and Pam McDonald - although we're assured more were invited. As our astute readers will remember, the former Ontario premier won the largest number of delegates in British Columbia. But we're told an effort will be made to ensure future events include increased representation from his team.

Earlier, we reported on Earnscliffe Strategy Group Inc. senior consultant Byng Giraud's decision to leave the government relations firm to become the senior policy and communications director for the Mining Association of British Columbia. And who's going to be replacing him, you may wonder? Well that would be Yaroslav Baran, the communications director for Stephen Harper's successful federal Conservative leadership bid. Mr. Baran, who was also a senior communications adivsor to the Tories during the 2006 election campaign, will be based in Ottawa - focusing on British Columbia-related files. The following is a complete copy of his biography.

YAROSLAV BARAN

Prior to joining Earnscliffe, Yaroslav Baran gained understanding of Ottawa with eight years of parliamentary experience ranging from House of Commons procedure to political communications. He managed parliamentary procedural matters for three years in the Office of the Chief Opposition Whip under Chuck Strahl and Jay Hill --- before becoming legislative assistant to Ontario MP Scott Reid. This was followed by his appointment as senior communications manager in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Baran then served as Director of Communications in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party leadership campaign. He has also worked as a government relations consultant for the last year.

During the 2004 national election campaign, he was Deputy Communications Director for the Conservative Party, and subsequently appointed Manager of Strategic Communications in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Baran directed the Conservative Party's "war room" communications and media relations during the successful 2006 national election campaign as Senior Communications Advisor.

Mr. Baran is a native of Hamilton, Ontario. He graduated with an Honours degree in History from McMaster University, and subsequently did graduate studies in International Relations at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He has also completed numerous programs in media relations and human resource management.

Tonight, on Public Eye Radio, 24 hours's Bob Mackin, the Gold Rush columnist for Business in Vancouver, gives us his taken on the present state of preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics. PharmaWatch president Colleen Fuller discusses what the False Creek Surgical Centre's new privately-operated emergency clinic means for public healthcare. And Democratic Reform British Columbia's new leader Graeme Rodger talks about his vision for the party. Also on the show: Real Women of Canada president Laurie Geschke tells us why she supports Harper administration cutbacks to Status of Women Canada. And our rabble-rousing panel - Michael Prince, Bob Russell, Allan Warnke and Brad Zubyk discuss the week that was in provincial and federal politics. You can listen to Public Eye Radio outside of Victoria by logging into CFAX 1070 between 6:00 and 9:00. If you have a question for one of our guests, you can email us, leave a comment below or phone (250) 386-1161 during the show.

Here's an announcement that will surprise no one: earlier, we reported provincial New Democrat leader Carole James's office would be hiring a senior communications officer. In the minds of many, that post had caucus communications officer Rich Overgaard's name written all over it. And so it has come to pass that Mr. Overgaard will be leaving the legislative basement to work in Ms. James's corner suite with the lovely and talented David Perry, the leader's chief of staff.

In the category of what will they think of next: earlier this afternoon, British Columbia Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games secretariat president and chief executive officer (nee associate deputy minister) Annette Antoniak sent an email across government, informing bureaucrats "there is now an exclusive line of Olympic-themed hoodies for sale" available for purchase only by public service employees. Yes, that's right. Hoodies. For sale. According to the email, "proceeds from each item sold will be donated to the Own the Podium 2010 Program to support athlete development."

Ms. Antoniak, who has always been a favourite here at Public Eye, also tells bureaucrats they will soon be "hearing about volunteering efforts and new career opportunities all exclusively available to the BC Public Service." Hopefully, those opportunities aren't actually in the public service though. Because, according to a October 16 announcement posted on the public service agency's Website, "All BC Public Service opportunities are now open to both external applicants and current employees." Fancy that! The following is a complete copy of that email.

***

-----Original Message-----
From: Antoniak, Annette ECDV:EX
Sent: Thu 12/7/2006 4:31 PM
Subject: Own the Podium

Good afternoon,

I am writing to let you know about an exciting new program available exclusively to the BC Public Service.

Hosting the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One of my goals as the President and CEO of the BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat is to develop opportunities to involve the BC Public Service in the lead-up to the games.

In the near future you will be hearing about volunteering efforts and new career opportunities all exclusively available to the BC Public Service.

But today, I am pleased to let you know about the Own the Podium program for the BC Public Service.

This is your opportunity to celebrate our role as Host Province of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, while helping to support Canadian Athletes in their pursuit of gold at the 2010 Winter Games.

Unique to BC Public Service employees, there is now an exclusive line of Olympic-themed hoodies for sale. Proceeds from each item sold will be donated to the Own the Podium 2010 Program to support athlete development. All the details are available at our employee website.

Stay tuned to the employee website for other exciting 2010 features just for you.

Sincerely,

Annette Antoniak
President and CEO
BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat

Senior provincial New Democrat caucus staffers are becoming increasingly scarce at the Rockpile. Research director Don Anderson is already gone. This past Friday was press secretary Scott Perchall's last day on the job. And communications director Jim Rutkowski will likely be leaving the legislative precincts at end of December. Meanwhile, replacements for Messrs. Anderson, Perchall and Rutkowski have yet to be found. In fact, Mr. Perchall's post hasn't even been advertised yet. Although the caucus has managed to hire a new office manager - Heidi Reid, Opposition leader Carole James's former legislative assistant. So at least they've got that going for them.

Stephen Kukucha will be doing some big tent building this weekend. The reason: Mr. Kukucha, the federal Liberal's new British Columbia regional vice-president, has invited representatives from all the leadership camps to attend a olive branch party at his Kitsilano home. The intent of the party to strengthen relationships amongst those representatives, with the task of putting together a British Columbia campaign team being put off until a later date. Mr. Kukucha, the external affairs and government business development director for Ballard Power Systems Inc., was acclaimed regional vice-president at the Liberal's recent convention, succeeding Sharon Apsey.

Yesterday, Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell released a farmed fish health report showing "British Columbia's results-based regulatory regime is working." As our astute readers will already know, that report - which the minister had planned on releasing in September - was assembled with the assistance (or perhaps hinderance) of a "dysfunctional" database. When asked whether that database was an embarassment for government, Minister Bell told reporters, "Keep in mind, this is a first report. And the second report will be done in a more timely way and provide the result out to the public more quickly then this one. So I'm not satisfied with how quickly we were able to turn around this information. And that's why we put the RFP out" to replace the computer system.

But, even though problems with that system meant the data included fish health report had to be manually collated, Minister Bell said he has "confidence in the calculations that have been done. I wouldn't release the report if that wasn't the case." During that same scrum, the minister conceded the report doesn't address whether fish farms pose a threat to wild stocks - an issue that is being investigated bty the special legislative committee on sustainable aquaculture.

Last month, we reported rumours Marilyn Hedlund, Saskatchewan's child and family services executive director, had been chosen as British Columbia's new child welfare director - the post once held by Jeremy Berland. So it will come as no surprise to our readers that, today, children and family development deputy minister Lesley Du Toit announced Ms. Hedlund would indeed be serving as the statutory officer responsible for administering the Child, Family and Community Service Act and the Adoption Act. The following is a complete copy of that announcement.

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Marilyn Hedlund as Provincial Director of Child Welfare. Marilyn will serve as the statutory officer designated by the Minister, under the Child, Family and Community Service Act and Adoption Act.

Marilyn holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University. She has many years experience within the Saskatchewan public service in child welfare and related areas, including the past four years as Executive Director, Child and Family Services Division within Saskatchewan Community Resources, a position with many parallels to her new appointment. She has held other management and policy roles including Commissioner for the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission, Associate Executive Director of Income Security Programs and Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Minister's Office. She has been a front-line young offenders youth worker, a teen foster care worker, a special foster home worker and an assessment and planning coordinator for a residential facility.

We look forward to having Marilyn here starting in January and I trust you will give her the support she needs for the challenging work ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Sieben for the excellent work he has done while acting as the Director of Child Welfare since February 16, 2006. We are excited that he will be free in January to continue full-time in his role as policy and legislation ADM.

Kind regards,

Lesley

Your humble organ has spilled much ink reporting on former provincial Liberal central campaign committee member Susan Yurkovich, who was recently became the public affairs and communications vice-president at BC Hydro Corp. But the government-owned company's president and chief executive officer Bob Elton says he had no knowledge as to her involvement with the party prior to hiring her as his top spin doctor. Responding to questions posed yesterday by Delta North legislator Guy Gentner, Mr. Elton said he knew Ms. Yurkovich "from the Board of Trade. I knew her as somebody who had worked at Canadian Forest Products. Interestingly, to be honest, I did not know that she had any particular political connections provincially. I knew that she was involved with David Emerson."

Of course, we can't expect a man with Mr. Elton's responsibilities to be counted among Public Eye.'s regular readers. But Ms. Yurkovich's connections were reported on by The Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee back in May 2005. And, during the same month, the former Canfor Corp. corporate affairs vice-president appeared on BCTV's noon news broadcast with political analyst Will McMartin, assessing New Democrat leader Carole James's election debate performance.

"The world unfolded exactly as it was meant to in Saturday's political thriller, with Montreal MP Stephane Dion snaring the Liberal party leadership after four gruelling rounds of balloting." That's how The Vancouver Sun's Barbara Yaffe summarized the former environment minister's win. Continued Ms. Yaffe, "As I first predicted on July 22, Dion prevailed against his two main rivals, Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae, both party newcomers." Indeed, the scribe devoted a whole column to making that prediction. But a win by Mr. Dion wasn't the only possibility she contemplated. On November 23, Ms. Yaffe informed readers "The next Liberal leader, to be announced Dec. 2, almost surely will be either Stephane Dion or Bob Rae." And a month earlier, she wrote "the former Ontario premier is now looking like the best shot to win."

Earlier, we reported Ken Dobell, who is working under contract as a special advisor Gordon Campbell, had registered to lobby the premier on behalf of the City of Vancouver - specifically concerning Mayor Sam Sullivan's proposed cultural precinct. That registration became effective on April 5 - the date the province announced it would be providing $5 million toward "the planning and initial development" of that precinct. And what does the premier think about Mr. Dobell's twin responsibilities, we wondered? "He's working for the City of Vancouver. And he's properly registered himself so everyone knows he's working for them," responded the premier as he was entering a caucus meeting.

Yale-Lilooet legislator Harry Lali is once again calling on New Democrats to start kicking ass and chewing bubblegum. This past Saturday, Mr. Lali was at the Sandman Hotel in Castelgar to deliver the keynote speech for a fundraiser benefitting federal British Columbia Southern Interior parliamentarian Alex Atamenko. And during that speech, attendees tell us Mr. Lali repeated his message that the federal and provincial New Democrats should quit pretending to be Liberals and start acting like social democrats. The former transportation and highways minister made a similar pitch at the New Democrat's Interior-Okanagan community conference back in October.

Celebrating good practices at the ministry of children and family development - as well as analyzing service delivery gaps - will be the first part of Lesley du Toit's transformation initiative. This, according to an update quietly released by the deputy minister last week. In her nine-page newsletter, Ms. du Toit writes that "a team of consultants and MCFD staff" will be responsible for documenting those gaps and good practices over the next year, producing an accompanying report and DVD. The deputy minister also reaffirms her commitment to decentralization, telling colleagues that "the process of establishing regional and community governance of service delivery" will be "re-initiated" at the start of the new financial year. But it isn't clear what that decentralized structure will look like.

Referring to the non-aboriginal side of the ministry, Ms. du Toit cautions that "no assumption should be made that this (regionalization) process will result in 5 authorities." Moreover, "contrary to the recent statement in the press, there has been no decision made that there will be 10 regional authorities established." Nor "should there be an assumption that these will be in the form of the authorities originally conceptualised by MCFD and our partners."

Despite this uncertainty, by 2008, Ms. du Toit wants "to have made measurable progress in shifting service delivery governance to the regions and communities." Although, when it comes to the aboriginal side of the ministry, Ms. du Toit says the process of "developing regional models of decision-making and service delivery...will take as long as it needs to and is firmly in the hands of Aboriginal Peoples."

Other newsworthy mentions in the update include Ms. du Toit's promise to begin a four year program "to ensure that every vulnerable young person in BC has one supportive, caring and healthy adult in their life to whom they are attached and who will be consistent in their life through the teenage years and into their adulthood." Needless to say, your humble organ is anxiously awaiting details of that program - as well as its budgetary requirements.

Yesterday, we exclusively reported that the provincial government was shopping for a new farmed fish health database because their current computer system is "dysfunctional and cannot be relied upon to produce accurate or timely statistics, reports, data or information." As a result, agriculture and land bureaucrats have had to manually collate aquaculture fish health statistics. And that has Living Oceans Society executive director Jennifer Lash questioning those statistics.

"We've always known there's a problem," said Ms. Lash. "But I think what I'm a bit shocked about is that they've been doing all of this manually." The reason: "if you're manually coallating the data, the possibility of error is very high...I'm shocked! We have better database at Living Oceans Society than it sounds like the provincial government has."

But, in an interview with Public Eye, agriculture and land communications director Liz Bicknell took issue with Ms. Lash's assessment, noting "It's more cumbersome to do it manually. But it doesn't in any way alter the credibility of the data. Because the data is the data."

Last week, parliamentarians voted 266 to 16 in favour of a motion recognizing "Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada." That motion, which was introduced by the Harper administration, made more than a few Conservatives uncomfortable. And one wonders whether John Weston, who is running for the party nomination in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, is among them. The reason: in a letter published in the North Shore News back in October, Mr. Weston slammed then federal Liberal leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff's stance that recognizing "Quebec - and Aboriginal peoples - as nations within the fabric of Canada is not to make some new concession. It is simply to acknowledge a fact."

Referring specifically to the aboriginal portion of that proposal, Mr. Weston wrote it represents a "complete absence of vision, a stance that would gut our country, leaving it without coherence or direction." Indeed, it is a "vision of Canada that would set us back 500 years to the British feudal system of castles and moats with a weak central government, special powers for special groups, and laws that apply unequally as they relate to the constitution, fisheries and immigration." Instead, Mr. Weston explained he believes in "believe in one Canada, united under a single, supreme Constitution, with equal protections for all, as well as equal responsibilities."

So what does he thinks about the prime minister'x slightly more nuanced view of our nation? Well, we'd love to know. But Mr. Weston hasn't yet returned two phone calls from Public Eye inquiring about the matter. The following is a complete copy of that letter.

***

Dear Editor:

On September 18, 2006, a three-judge panel of the B.C. Court of Appeal recognized the national significance of the court challenge to the Nisga'a Treaty.

Madam Justice Southin declared that the federal and provincial governments' "procedural machinations" should not be allowed to frustrate the hearing of a case that potentially "affects all Canadians."

The plaintiffs, including hereditary Chief Mountain and Matriarch Mercy Thomas, are ancestral leaders of the Nisga'a people who oppose the treaty.

The challengers affirm self-government, but self-government that is subject to federal and provincial law, and the Canadian Constitution.

The court acknowledged that the "action raises potentially significant constitutional issues affecting interests beyond those of the immediate parties to the action."

This is especially true since new draft treaties are rapidly moving towards completion.

The plaintiffs say the Nisga'a Treaty is unconstitutional. It has increased the authority of their band government, but taken away or diminished the rights of the Nisga'a people as Canadians: diminishing their recourse to Canadian courts; reducing protections of the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights; and undermining other protections considered normal by Canadians.

In the words of the former Supreme Court of Canada Justice William McIntyre, Q.C., and other former senior judges, the treaty is unconstitutional. It creates an "independent nation state," with its own land, boundaries, government, citizens, police force, judiciary, and powers over Nisga'a citizenship.

As Chief Mountain in court confirms his commitment to a united Canada, Liberal Leadership Candidate Michael Ignatieff pursues a very different view of Canada: a nation of nations.

Andrew Coyne describes Ignatieff's disastrous ideas in a Sept. 17 National Post story, Ignatieff Has Disqualified Himself:

"For it isn't only Quebec that Michael Ignatieff proposes should be constitutionally recognized as a 'nation,' but also aboriginal groups -- sorry, 'the indigenous nations of Canada' -- at last count some 600 in all. If Mr. Ignatieff gets his way, the historically invalid, politically unworkable theory of Canada as a "multinational" federation, long the private vice of political science departments, would be enshrined in law for all time."

Our M.P., Blair Wilson, is one of those who has endorsed Ignatieff's bid to become the Liberal leader. Wilson should ask himself if he really wants to be the advocate for a vision of Canada that would set us back 500 years to the British feudal system of castles and moats with a weak central government, special powers for special groups, and laws that apply unequally as they relate to the constitution, fisheries and immigration.

I oppose the Nisga'a Treaty vision and Ignatieff's vision because both in fact represent a complete absence of vision, a stance that would gut our country, leaving it without coherence or direction.

I believe in one Canada, united under a single, supreme Constitution, with equal protections for all, as well as equal responsibilities.

I can only hope that our courts will continue to pay heed to the voices of courageous Canadians such as Chief Mountain and Mercy Thomas, who dare to face down governments which threaten to bully them into silence.

John Weston

West Vancouver

British Columbia's new child and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is getting a vote of confidence from fellow independent legislative officer Kim Carter, Canada's former chief military judge. In an interview with Public Eye, the ombudsman explained she's met Ms. Turpel-Lafond a number of times "on the judicial circuit. In fact, the last time was in Winnipeg at a meeting with the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. And she was doing presentation on children with fetal alcohol syndrome - because she's done a lot of work with them in Saskatoon as a judge. I think she's an excellent choice. She really has a long-term commitment to children. And I think, particularly, she's worked with vulnerable aboriginal children in her current position and has been quite creative in some of her attempts to solve problems."

The ombudsman also praised Ms. Turpel-Lafond's for her decision to take a leave of absence from the Saskatchewan judiciary - allowing her to return to the bench if necessary. "She doesn't have to be thinking of what's going to happen afterwards. And I think that's always useful. Because you have to have people in these kinds of positions who are not looking for reappointment or appointment somewhere else. That's what makes you independent and allows you to do the job properly. So she's got that ability."

Olympic medalist Marion Lay is no longer president of 2010 LegaciesNow, the government-funded non-profit society responsible for developing "sustainable legacies" in the areas of "sport and recreation, arts, literacy and volunteerism." In an interview with Public Eye, communications director Karen McDonald explained Ms. Lay had been employed by the society via a contract with the former Canadian freestyle swimming champion’s company Think Sport Ltd. That contract was up for renewal. But Ms. Lay and the society’s board of directors - which includes the premier’s special advisor Ken Dobell and Vancouver city manager Judy Rogers - "couldn't come to terms. So she chose not to accept the contract" - the exact date of Ms. Lay's refusal being November 7. "And she's going to pursue some other projects." Ms. McDonald declined to say why contract negotiations broke down. But she did say "the option is very much open" for Ms. Lay to pursue future contract work with LegaciesNow.