Ethics watchdog clears NDP staffer for lobbyist role

A high-level NDP staffer slammed by the Opposition for his role as a registered lobbyist in British Columbia has been cleared by the ethics commissioner, whose report also highlighted the government’s muddled paperwork.

John Heaney, Premier Rachel Notley’s former chief of staff, resigned in August 2017 and was rehired last October as an executive adviser in the finance ministry.

He signed a $130,500 contract this past April to expand his role to the energy ministry.

In May, United Conservative Party accountability critic Nathan Cooper questioned the province over Heaney’s role as a registered lobbyist in B.C. on behalf of cannabis company Nuuvera, which he said also has interests in Alberta.

“Could the minister please state for the record that he sees no ethical issues whatsoever of the lobbyist also being a government employee?” he asked during question period, referencing the finance ministry’s purview over the sale and distribution of cannabis.

Finance Minister Joe Ceci said the Opposition was mudslinging and that Heaney wasn’t permitted to lobby government members in Alberta.

In a report released by the premier’s office Friday, ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler found there was no ethical quandary.

“Given Mr. Heaney ’s background in government both in British Columbia and Alberta, it is not unreasonable to expect that he would be involved in lobbying in British Columbia,” she wrote. “I find that he did not lobby the Alberta government and that at no time did he discuss matters relating to cannabis with minister Ceci or anyone in his department.”

In a letter addressed to Heaney notifying him of the report, Trussler said it would be posted publicly July 27, however it wasn’t yet online Friday.

“The report speaks for itself,” said Heaney, adding he’s not commenting further on the issue.

Trussler also pointed out the NDP could have handled the paperwork around Heaney ’s concurrent employment more efficiently.

“It should have been expedited,” Trussler wrote. “If it had been, then it is unlikely Mr. Cooper would have raised this matter with me.”

The ethics commissioner found Heaney’s contractual paperwork wasn’t handled appropriately, Cooper said.

“The fact that the government is essentially giving this report to the media on the Friday of a long weekend is some indication that they aren’t very proud of their actions,” Cooper said.

Ceci’s spokesperson Mike Brown said the government asked for input from the ethics commissioner before Heaney transitioned roles.

“Transparency has been and will remain a core principle of our government,” he said in a statement.

Heaney is also under investigation by the privacy commissioner over what the Opposition labels “political interference” in freedom of information requests.

That investigation began in January, but Heaney told Postmedia in May he hasn’t heard from privacy commissioner Jill Clayton.