Horgan’s apology may not end LNG advocate’s saga
Taxpayers on hook if Wilson carries through on suing Horgan, Ralston for defamation
After my Tuesday column exposed John Horgan’s driveby sliming of Gordon Wilson, the premier was quick to apologize to the fired LNG advocate.
“I offer an apology to Mr. Wilson,” Horgan said. “I think we need to move on however.”
Just one problem: Wilson doesn’t seem to be in a forgive-and-forget mood. He repeated his threats to sue Horgan and B.C. Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston for defamation.
“I’m certainly considering it, absolutely,” Wilson told me when I asked whether he would still sic his lawyers on the premier and his minister.
Wilson used the word “malice” several times when discussing the stuff Horgan and Ralston said about him, indicating he’s been brushing up on his libel law.
What a mess. And it could cost B.C. taxpayers a bundle.
This all started last week when the Horgan government fired Wilson — the former B.C. Liberal leader — as the province’s $150,000-a-year point man on liquefied natural gas development.
But instead of just summarily sacking Wilson, Ralston and Horgan couldn’t resist twisting the knife.
Ralston said the government conducted a “review” of Wilson’s work and found he had done little “other than to cash his cheques.”
Horgan piled on, telling CBC Radio Wilson produced “no briefings, no reports, no memoranda” during his tenure as LNG advocate.
I personally smelled a rat right away, since I knew Wilson had reported to former Liberal jobs minister Shirley Bond, one of the toughest taskmasters in the former Liberal government. Bond was not the type to let somebody sit on their butts and do nothing for 150 grand a year.
Sure enough, with a quick search of the B.C. government’s own Open Information website, I found 180 pages of reports, memos and updates Wilson submitted to Bond and other government managers.
Here’s the wildest part: The documents were posted on the site because the NDP requested them in 2015 through freedom-of-information.
The New Democrats were sitting on these documents for two years, then Horgan and Ralston went out and slimed Wilson anyway.
Now Wilson wants to know about that “review” Ralston said the government did on his work.
“I need to see the review that was done, because that will determine whether there was malice involved,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to let that go.”
Can’t say I blame him, but it’s bad news for taxpayers, who could get burned by the NDP’s smear tactics.
Any libel lawyer will tell you it’s difficult to sue a sitting premier, who enjoys considerable legal protections or “privilege” in their public comments. The fact that Horgan and Ralston both apologized also mitigates any court awards Wilson might collect.
But even if Wilson doesn’t win any damages, you can bet a lawsuit will still cost taxpayers money from everybody lawyering up on the public dime. Less than a month into the NDP’s return to power and the smears, apologies and legal threats are already flying. Sure didn’t take long, did it?