Yesterday British Columbia’s Information & Privacy Commissioner, Ombudsperson, & Merit Commissioner issued a joint letter recommending several legislative changes to increase transparency and accountability in the BC Legislature.

In particular, they suggested:

• Revisions to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act so that it applies to the Legislative Assembly. The letter states over 2900 public bodies are currently covered by this Act.
• Amendments to BC’s not yet in force Public Interest Disclosure Act, to have it apply to the Legislative Assembly. The Act is expected to come into force later this year for government ministries and independent statutory offices. Under the Act employees can report wrongdoing either within their organization or to the Ombudsperson and are protected from reprisal for doing so.
• Revisions to the Public Service Act to provide the Merit Commissioner the mandate to conduct an independent audit of staffing appointments to and within the administration of the Legislative Assembly. The letter also calls for the ability of the Merit Commissioner to conduct reviews of processes leading to any just cause dismissals of administration staff

Below is the press statement we released in response to the public letter.

Media Statement

B.C. Green caucus c
For immediate release
February 5th, 2019

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Greens, and Sonia Furstenau, House Leader of the B.C. Green Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the joint letter published today by B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ombudsperson, and Merit Commissioner. This letter calls for changes to improve transparency and accountability in the Legislative Assembly.

“The recent events at the Legislature, particularly the allegations outlined in the Speaker’s report, have exposed a long-standing culture of entitlement in the B.C. Legislature. British Columbians have lost trust in their democratic institution and its ability to act in the public interest,” said Andrew Weaver.

“That is why measured, independent responses are essential. We need to address the structural framework that allowed the alleged wrongdoing to continue for so long. British Columbians deserve better than knee-jerk attempts to save face. The recommendations of the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ombudsperson, and Merit Commissioner set a meaningful direction for a path towards improving checks and balances in the Legislative Assembly.”

“As the B.C. Green representative on the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, I look forward to discussing these recommendations with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle,” said Sonia Furstenau. “As the letter highlights, the disappointing allegations in the Speaker’s report also offer an opportunity for us to do better. I anticipate that these recent events will usher in a new era of transparency in B.C. politics.”

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Media contact
Stephanie Siddon, Acting Press Secretary
+1 250-882-6187 | stephanie.siddon@leg.bc.ca

Today I had the distinct honour of providing opening remarks for the Social Innovation in Mineral Exploration Panel at the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) 2019 Roundup conference in Vancouver.

I took the opportunity to outline a BC Green vision for innovation in the mining sector. Below I reproduce the text of my speaking notes. I’ll post a video of my presentation if I can find one online. I explored the issue of social innovation more thoroughly during my oral presentation.

Text of Opening Remarks

Thank you very much for the kind introduction and for inviting me to speak with you all today.

I must admit that I am very pleased to have the opportunity to make remarks before the panel on innovation and mining. There are few conversations that I think are more interesting in our province right now than how our traditional resource sectors can harness technology and innovation and develop new economic opportunities.

Before I get to that though, I should also let you know that mining is actually near and dear to my heart. As many will know, I am a faculty member on leave from the School of Earth & Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria — a climate/paleoclimate scientist surrounded by geologists!

I’ve also had a long standing interest in mining stock investing (which, sadly, I’ve had to take a break from since getting elected).

But back to what I am here today to talk to you all about – the opportunity we have to harness innovation in our natural resource sectors – and specifically mining – to build low carbon economic opportunities for communities across our province.

I truly believe that mining is a bedrock industry that sustained communities across our province for many decades. Pun intended.

In my almost 6 years as an MLA I have had the opportunity to visit a number of different mining operations across our province and I’ve seen first hand just how important these projects are to the communities around them.

From the large Teck metallurgical coal mines in the Elk Valley to the Small Eagle graphite play near Nelson; from the Imperial Metals Mt. Polly Mine to Teck’s Highland Valley Copper, the pride that employees and employers take in BC’s rich mining history is evident to me.

With over 30,000 workers directly employed by the sector, and an estimated $9.9 billion contributed to BC’s economy, mining’s importance to our economy today is undisputed.

What I think is less known, but perhaps is even more important, is just how much our mining industry has to contribute to the creation of a low carbon economy.

We are at the start of a major economic shift – one that is taking place right across the world.

Slowly but surely, jurisdictions are recognizing that sustainable economic prosperity must go hand in hand with reducing our carbon pollution.

It’s critical that this isn’t approached as an environmental mission – but as an opportunity to create new, sustainable economic opportunities right across our province even as we reduce our climate pollution.

To seize this opportunity we must be willing to embrace innovation – both in terms of the technologies we use to make our operations more efficient, and economically viable, and in terms of the transition to low carbon technologies.

Let’s look at technology first.

Bryan Cox, the President and CEO of he Mining Association of BC put it very articulately in the Price Waterhouse Cooper 2017 industry update when he said:

“The way I see it, mining is a tech industry and when both sectors grow, the entire province benefits.”

In my opinion, this is exactly the way to view the opportunity technology and innovation provides the resource sector. It is not as some separate force working from the outside – it must be ingrained in what we do.

I think there is a tendency to think of the tech sector as a “south-west” BC industry – one with little direct benefit to other regions of the province.

Certainly, it’s true that there has been a significant expansion in “tech industry” in Vancouver and Victoria. But if you ask anyone involved in this industry, they will tell you exactly what Mr. Cox so succinctly put.

We must view all our industries – especially our long standing resource industries as “tech industries”.

So what does this look like in practice? Let’s talk about one of my favourite companies: MineSense.

The future of economic prosperity in BC lies in harnessing our innate potential for innovation and bringing new, more efficient technologies to bear in the resource sector.

MineSense’s real-time, sensor-based ore sorting technologies embody BC innovation at its finest and provide a perfect example of what’s needed for BC to seize new opportunities from innovation.

BC will never compete in digging dirt out of the ground with jurisdictions that don’t internalize the same social and environmental externalities that we value.

We will excel through being smarter, more efficient, & cleaner.

This means that we not only export the dirt, but we also export the knowledge, technology, and value-added products associated with resource extraction.

And that’s where companies like Minesense come in.

But there is also a second critical opportunity to harness innovation in the mining sector – and that is by embracing the goals set out in Clean BC – British Columbia’s economic strategy to address climate change.

I entered politics back in 2013 to ensure that BC’s strategy to address climate change was put back on track. This wasn’t about simply putting in place new environmental policies.

CleanBC should not be viewed only as a climate plan – it’s an economic vision focused on innovation & opportunities. And B.C. has all the strategic advantages needed to seize these low-carbon economic opportunities.

By tackling the challenges presented by climate change, with carefully designed policies, B.C.’s economy can grow in new ways. CleanBC offers a pathway for B.C. to be on the cutting edge of the low-carbon economy.

For the mining sector I believe that there are two main areas of opportunity: First by embracing the electrification of our mining operations and shifting to lower pollution fuels, and second, by ensuring BC mines – and the minerals and metals we mine for – are directly linked to the growing demand for clean technologies.

The business case for electrification is becoming ever more convincing – both as a driver of cost reduction and efficiency, as well as ensuring companies have the social license to operate.

Seizing the opportunities of electrification and a fuel shift will require close coordination between industry and government. Clean BC starts this process with new incentive programs and policy changes that support a transition.

For example, these programs include a new heavy-duty vehicle incentive program that will provide funding to promote the purchase of energy efficient equipment for large transport trucks.

Our goal is to have the cleanest industry in the world – one that leverages our abundant renewable electricity in their industrial operations.

These changes won’t happen overnight – and no one seriously would expect them to. But we must be committed to embracing new innovations when they come along. And government must do its part to ensure that companies who are serious about electrification have access to the reliable electricity they will count on.

There is one other area where I believe government and industry must work together to harness the power of innovation and technology.

We must ensure that the standards that regulate our mining industry are kept up to date, and that in addition to the economic benefits mining provides our province, its social and environmental impacts are being accounted for.

The Mt. Polley tailings pond breach hurt public confidence in government and industry’s ability to adequately protect the natural environment during mining operations. Public trust and confidence is a critical component of a successful mining industry.

The way to build public trust is clear – we must ensure that our operations leverage the best available technology and the best available practices. Innovation cannot be a buzz-word we use – and this is something government is particularly guilty of. Innovation is more than just the latest technology. It is a way of operating where we are committed to evidence based decision-making and solving problems before they arise.

Once again, this is something the government and industry must work together on.

So how do we put this altogether? How do we embody a way of operating that is committed to innovation?

For me, there has been one piece in particular that has been missing from most governments approaches when it comes to harnessing innovation and really developing a new economic road map for our province.

What’s missing has been “vision”.

We won’t be able to harness the true economic potential of innovation by accident.

We won’t be able to meet our climate targets and develop new economic opportunities by accident.

We must know what future we want to build and drive towards.

This is what the BC Greens started with our initial innovation policies.

The first piece was the Emerging Economy Task Force.

We proposed the Emerging Economy Task Force to enable government to adapt and respond to changes on the horizon. We need to modernize government so that it is considerably more responsive to technological innovation.

The role of the Emerging Economy Task Force is to look to the future, identify emerging trends and advise government on how to maintain our competitiveness and achieve prosperity amidst these changes.

The second item from our platform that we integrated into our agreement with the NDP is the Innovation Commission (now Innovate BC) as well as the appointment of an Innovation Commissioner.

The innovation commissioner was proposed to be an advocate and ambassador on behalf of the B.C. technology sector in Ottawa and abroad, to enable B.C. companies to more easily tap into existing federal programs and build key strategic relationships.

By getting these two pieces in place, we have started to change the conversation about innovation policy in government.

We are now at an all-important next step.

In the coming months, the BC Greens want to have a deliberate conversation with stakeholders across British Columbia about innovation, and how government and industry can work together to build new economic opportunities.

We want to understand the barriers that you think need to be removed, and the opportunities you think we can seize.

With the budget in the Spring I expect to see Clean BC fully funded and start to roll out. This will provide a critical opportunity for a conversation about BC Hydro’s role in supporting the electrification of industry, and innovation in general.

The future I imagine is one where our natural resource sector is globally known as the cleanest and most innovative in the world.

I want to be a jurisdiction where companies try out cutting edge technologies to enhance the efficiency of our operations.

I want us to be ever more connected to the global supply chain for minerals needed to construct the solar panels and wind turbines we use to power our economy and the electric vehicles we use to navigate our roads.

I want to see the growth of B.C.’s technology sector as an asset that facilitates greater innovation through technology usage and partnerships with other economic sectors.

This is my vision. It’s not easy – but I think BC is up to the challenge.

Thank you for your time.

Today I issued a statement (reproduced below) calling on BC Liberal MLA Linda Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the BC Legislature. This was put together after Monday’s release of Speaker Darryl Plecas’ bombshell report and Tuesday’s whistleblower allegations contained within that report.

Media Release

Andrew Weaver statement calling for MLA Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker
For immediate release
January 23rd, 2019

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, issued the following statement calling for MLA Linda Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House:

“Last night one of the key whistleblowers referenced in Speaker Darryl Plecas’ report about fiscal wrongdoing in the B.C. Legislature came forward publicly to shed light on the culture of entitlement that he allegedly witnessed. This whistleblower was allegedly dismissed for questioning the expense claims of B.C. Liberal MLA and Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House Linda Reid.

“It is for that reason that today I am calling for MLA Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House. Our focus at this time must be on restoring public trust in our democratic institutions. I cannot see how that is possible when one of the individuals named by this whistleblower is still holding a position of power and oversight in the Legislature.

“Restoring public trust must be every MLA’s priority at this moment in time. Positions such as Assistant Deputy Speaker have an even higher threshold for trust given the responsibility they hold in serving the entire legislature.

“I do not ask for this lightly. MLA Reid is the longest serving member of the Legislature. However, in light of the numerous and serious allegations of the Speaker’s report, as well as the candor of this key whistleblower, I feel strongly that it is inappropriate for MLA Reid to continue to serve as Assistant Deputy Speaker until such a time that these allegations can be fully addressed.”

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Media contact
Stephanie Siddon, Acting Press Secretary
+1 250-882-6187 | stephanie.siddon@leg.bc.ca

The release of the Speaker’s bombshell report yesterday has sent a shockwave across British Columbia. It identified a culture of entitlement and alleged a systemic pattern of fiscal wrongdoing in the BC Legislature. The report’s release will undoubtedly undermine public trust and frankly raises more questions than it has answered.

In releasing the report, the Legislative Assembly Management Committee unanimously approved four motions:

1. The Acting Clerk undertake to develop the scope and terms of a comprehensive financial audit, to address matters contained in the report by the Speaker, for the consideration and approval of the committee. Once the committee has approved the scope and terms of the audit, an Auditor General from another Canadian jurisdiction shall be invited to undertake the work. The resulting audit report shall be made public.
2. The Acting Clerk develop a framework for a workplace review of the Legislative Assembly departments, subject to criteria to be determined by the committee, in order to address matters raised in the report by the Speaker.
3. The committee urge all House Leaders to consider the serious allegations raised in the report by the Speaker, invite a written response by the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms by Friday, February 1, and determine what action, if any, the Legislative Assembly should take with respect to the motion adopted on November 20, 2018, regarding the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms.
4. The committee authorize the public release of the report by the Speaker.

The serious nature of these motions cannot be underestimated.

First, the committee will be inviting an auditor general from another province to undertake a comprehensive audit of Legislative finances. This unusual step bypasses British Columbia’s Office of the Auditor General.

Second, a framework will be set up for a workplace review. Presumably such a review is designed to ensure hiring policies and practices are put in place to protect workers from fear of retribution and unjust terminations (as raised repeatedly in the report).

Third, upon receiving a response from the Clerk and Sergeant at Arms, the committee will recommend to the Legislative Assembly a course of action. Presumably, this means they will recommend to the Assembly whether the Clerk and Sergeant at Arms should be reinstated, terminated, or continue on leave with or without pay. In light of the serious nature of the allegations in the report, it’s difficult for me to imagine any scenario that leads to the Clerk and Sergeant at Arms being reinstated.

But the story does not end here.

I’ve read the report through several times and I am at a lost as to who I can now trust in the BC Legislature. On page 14 of the report, the Deputy Sergeant at Arms is quoted as saying “I’m going to lose my job over this one”, referring to an alleged “theft” of more than $10,000 in liquor that he was aware of. The Deputy Sergeant at Arms, who is now serving as the Acting Sergeant at Arms, is also quoted on page 14 in alleging misappropriation of legislature funds by the Clerk to purchase a wood splitter. Furthermore, on page 16, questions arise as to whether or not there was a cover-up concerning alleged improper expense claims by a BC Liberal MLA.

I’m left wondering what, if any, financial oversight was present with respect to the approval of the outrageous expense claims detailed in the report.

Perhaps most disturbing of all are the questions that arise concerning the Clerk’s relationship to the BC Liberals.

On page 9, the Sergeant At Arms is quoted as suggesting that the Clerk was “not impartial and that he was in fact very close with the BC Liberal Party”.  Pages 15-17 of the report detail an alleged coverup of inappropriate expenses submitted by a BC Liberal MLA. The Clerk is quoted as saying that “I spoke with Kate and told her to rein Gary in and put a stop to this, otherwise we will all wear it”.  Later, the Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Committees is said to have told the speaker that the Clerk had gone to Vancouver to meet with Geoff Plant about how to “rein in Gary and ensure he wouldn’t be conducting investigations in the future”.  And then there are the meetings detailed in the tables spanning pages 36 to 38.

This table details 39 entries of in-province trips taken by the Clerk since March 2017 for individual meetings. Four of these meetings involved former BC Liberal Speaker Bill Barisoff; four were with former Premier Christy Clark (all of which occurred after she was no longer Premier); fourteen were with former BC Liberal MLA Geoff Plant; two were with Liberal MLA Mike de Jong; one was for a meeting at the Liberal party offices. The obvious questions that arise are: 1)  what were these meetings about?; 2) how were they justified as being associated with legislative business.

Another very concerning allegation appears on page 19 of the report. Here, the Clerk is quoted as saying: ‘that he had “so much dirt on the Liberals”  and that he could threaten to “stop paying their legal bills” or “quit paying their severance payments”’. Answers are clearly needed to more obvious questions that arise: 1) what dirt?; 2) what legal bills?; 3) what severance payments.

And then there is what the speaker described on page 48 as “the most comprehensive analysis of the Retirement Allowance to date” which he suggested  “appears to have been conducted in January 2014 by the Legislative Assembly’s then-Director of Human Resources, Jo-Anne Kern, following the publication of the John Doyle audit report and at the request of then-Speaker Linda Reid.” What’s disturbing is that this report appears to have either been removed, destroyed or not filed appropriately.

At 10:00am today I held a press conference in which I provided our response to the Speaker’s report. Below I reproduce the statement that I used in the press briefing. The entire press conference was filmed on Facebook Live.

Media Statement

• I have now had a chance to read the report in its entirety and I have to say, the allegations in this report point to a culture of entitlement and were sickening to read.
• I want to thank the speaker for the immense public service he has provided in bringing forward his concerns in such a detailed manner. As the first truly independent Speaker he has shown a willingness to speak to truth to power that can be sorely missing in politics.
• I also want to thank the whistleblowers who can forward to speak with the Speaker. This takes courage and willingness to look out for the broader public interest.
• Beyond the specific allegations of this report, there is another deeply concerning fact: these actions were allowed to go on for an extended period of time with documented efforts to conceal what was happening
• We have reported instances of people having their contracts terminated for trying to raise concerns about these practices;
• We have allegations that documentation which raised concerns disappeared from the previous Speaker’s vault – only made public because someone was willing to come forward with a personal copy;
• We have allegations that there was pressure to quash investigations into these practices.
• The culture that at best turned a blind eye and at worst actively concealed these actions is the same culture that oversaw the escalating crisis of money laundering in BC.
• These issues don’t happen in a vacuum. They are enabled by a culture that chooses to not ask questions and treats power as an entitlement to be protected – rather than as public responsibility to be stewarded.
• Half of all working Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. BC has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. While we must still view these as allegations, if true, it is abhorrent the officials in charge of this public institution would feel entitled to live lavishly with taxpayer money – expensing mother of pearl cufflinks when many British Columbians can’t even afford breakfast.
• We will be taking a very close look at what steps can be taken to ensure this legislature has additional checks and balances, and that power is not something vested simply in a small group of individuals.
• Separately, I also must raise my deep misgivings about the relationship detailed in this report between the Clerk of the legislature and the BC Liberal party.
• The office of the Speaker and the Clerk must be counted on to be independent from the political machinations that can take place in this building.
• When reports that raise worrying concerns disappear, when there is consistent and unexplained travel by non-partisan officials to political offices and elected officials, when the new Speaker is warned that the Clerk has a deep relationship with the BC Liberal Party – and most importantly, when a new, and truly independent speaker is able to immediately reveal extensive allegations of abuse, tough questions must be asked.
• As we stated yesterday, our caucus will do whatever it takes to ensure that trust can be restored and that British Columbians get answers to the numerous unanswered questions that are raised by this report.

Today the Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC) approved the release of the Speaker’s  76 page report entitled:

Report of the Speaker Darryl Plecas to the Legislative Assembly Management Committee concerning allegations of misconduct by senior officers of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly.

In this report the Speaker provides exhaustive details as to what led LAMC to recommend to the House that the Clerk and Sergeant at Arms be placed on administrative leave. The report raises serious questions concerning the conduct of a number of senior Legislative officials, and members of the official opposition.

Below I reproduce our initial media statement. I will be offering further, more detailed, comments shortly.

Media Release

B.C. Green Caucus statement on the release of the Speaker’s report
For immediate release
January 21st, 2019

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, issued the following statement in response to the report written by Speaker Darryl Plecas and released publicly by the all-party Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC):

“The report released today makes serious and shocking claims that have significant implications for public trust in our democratic institutions.

“The B.C. Green caucus fully supports the motions passed unanimously today by the LAMC. These are crucial first steps towards restoring integrity and faith in our provincial government.

“As a caucus we have made democratic integrity a major focus, championing issues such as lobbying reform and campaign finance reform. The people of our province deserve public institutions they can trust. We have never been more committed to seeking the truth and restoring our democracy for the benefit of all British Columbians.

“We will do whatever it takes to ensure that this trust is restored and that British Columbians get answers to the numerous unanswered questions that are raised by this report.

“We will have further comments in the near future once we have had a chance to review this report in detail.”

The full report can be viewed here.

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Media contact
Stephanie Siddon, Acting Press Secretary
+1 250-882-6187 | stephanie.siddon@leg.bc.ca