Speaker’s chance to make his case on allegations

With RCMP investigation underway, Plecas will have to be careful what he says to committee about alleged financial mismanagement

VICTORIA — Speaker Darryl Plecas will be given the chance to show his hand today in the wake of allegations he made in December about widespread financial mismanagement at the B.C. legislature.

The all-party committee that oversees financial management of the legislature meets today and Plecas previously promised to give more details about his demand for audits of the offices of the legislature clerk and sergeant-atarms, the results of which he vowed will outrage the public.

At the Dec. 6 legislative assembly management committee meeting, Plecas, Independent MLA for Abbotsford South, railed about the need for full forensic audits to shine a light on alleged financial mismanagement in the two offices. He pledged to resign if the outcome of the audits didn’t make taxpayers “throw up.”

He said the Speaker’s office should also be audited and promised it would come out clean.

Clerk of the house Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz, senior managers of the legislature, were marched out of the building under police escort Nov. 20 after a unanimous vote by MLAs to place them on administrative leave while an investigation continued.

Neither the RCMP nor the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch have given any information on the allegations against the men, and Lenz and James have said they have no idea why they’re being investigated.

Liberal house leader Mary Polak said her party still doesn’t have essential information, such as how Plecas and his special adviser, Alan Mullen, carried out the investigation that led to MLAs voting in favour of suspending Lenz and James. Information from that probe was passed to the RCMP in August.

“We’re still there with all the same outstanding information and waiting to see what the Speaker decides to reveal (today), and I guess we’ll have to go from there,” Polak said Friday. “The Speaker has made a whole bunch of allegations, and he says it and doesn’t back it up.”

NDP house leader Mike Farnworth wasn’t available to comment Friday, but has strongly cautioned against the release of any information that could jeopardize the RCMP investigation.

At the Dec. 19 legislative assembly management committee meeting, members passed a motion to hire a lawyer to advise them on how much can be publicly discussed during a police investigation.

According to the agenda for today members will discuss the legal opinion behind closed doors before Plecas makes his report. That could rein in how much Plecas is able to disclose.

University of Victoria political scientist Michael Prince said Plecas will have to walk a fine line between backing up the dramatic statements he made in December and not compromising the police investigation.

“With the RCMP investigation, I think it’s very risky for the Speaker to say much about this,” Prince said.