Civil servants muzzled, even about routine data, during election campaign
Information that could be construed as promoting a party was withheld
We limited most public communication to alerts regarding public health and safety, routine clinical-care practice updates and responses to public inquiries.
On Facebook and other invitationonly chat sites, journalists are sharing countless anecdotes about the seemingly absurd extremes to which public servants went during the B.C. election campaign to avoid looking like they were anything but impartial.
Two cases in point in the health care sector: A communications officer at the B.C. Cancer Agency refused a Postmedia journalist’s request to help co-ordinate an interview and photos or video of a choir performing for cancer patients, citing the election campaign. In another case, a different cancer agency communications officer acknowledged in an email that a news release about an ovarian cancer study published in a prestigious journal was deferred by almost a month.
The reason? So that no one would think the Liberals were being promoted if news of the study came out during the campaign.
“To be sure we were in compliance with Elections B.C. rules regarding public communications from government agencies during campaigns, we limited most public communication to alerts regarding public health and safety, routine clinical-care practice updates and responses to public inquiries regarding our services,” Kevin Sauve said.
Andrew Watson, manager of communications for Elections B.C., said there’s nothing in the Election Act that specifically prohibits government ministries or agencies from providing information to the public during an election. There are rules in the act dealing with election advertising during the campaign, from when the writs are issued until polls closed on voting day May 9, Watson said.
He said the press release about the research study would not have met the definition of election advertising.
Watson said ministries and Crown agencies have their own policies and guidelines about what they communicate during elections. And therein lies the excuse for withholding any information that may be construed as promoting the party in power.
The cancer agency comes under the umbrella of the Provincial Health Services Authority. Theresa McCurry, communications director of the authority, said press releases were vetted to ensure they didn’t violate guidelines. Even ones announcing National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week and National Immunization Awareness Week were carefully examined to ensure that “good news” wouldn’t be construed as public servants promoting Liberal government accomplishments.
News releases about opioids were OK’d because that information fell into the life-saving news category. But the press release about the ovarian cancer discovery was delayed for fear that the news might somehow be perceived as singing the praises of the governing party. The government funds cancer researchers, but so do private donors.
Matt Gordon, assistant deputy minister of corporate priorities and communication operations, said his message to public servants was that they have a duty to remain impartial “in action and perception.”
He said that, in the two cases cited, there may have been an “overabundance of caution.”
When vote counts are finalized and a new government is in place, he said he would be willing to have a full discussion with journalists about the obstacles they faced in getting information. That is especially important because with a minority government, another provincial election could happen soon.
Journalists and other readers are invited to leave a comment on the online copy of this story to share their anecdotes about challenges seeking information during the provincial election campaign.