COLEMAN FISHES FOR NDP PROMISES TO LURE PLECAS

But not a shred of evidence was offered to support serious attack on Speaker

Premier John Horgan was just settling into his chair in a committee room to defend the budget for his office this week when up popped Opposition leader Rich Coleman with an allegation that was as unprecedented as it was unsubstantiated.

“I want to start with a quote,” began Coleman, who let fly with words attributed to “the member for Abbotsford South,” meaning Darryl Plecas, the former B.C. Liberal MLA now serving as Speaker of the legislature.

The alleged quote was “you won’t believe what the NDP are offering me to run for Speaker,” claimed Coleman. He followed with a question to Horgan: “Is the premier aware of what was offered and by who?”

The premier, taken aback by the attack on the Speaker, paused for a few moments before answering: “I’m not aware of any offer.”

Coleman went right back at him. Was the premier aware of any conversations involving current NDP cabinet ministers, MLAs or staff with regards to enticements to Plecas for agreeing to serve as Speaker? “I can only speak for myself,” replied Horgan. “I had no conversations with the member for Abbotsford South.”

Coleman switched to the premier’s meeting with Lt.Gov. Judith Guichon on June 29, the evening she accepted Christy Clark’s resignation and called on Horgan to form a government.

“Did you mention to the lieutenant-governor you had a possibility of a Speaker from the Opposition?”

Horgan: “I don’t recall saying that. I do recall that her honour asked me two questions. Do you have the support of the legislature? I said I did. Was I able to form a government? I said I could. That was pretty much the end of the conversation, as I recall it.”

Coleman: “So the premier knows of no community project that was committed to the member for Abbotsford South should he become the Speaker?”

No hesitation from Horgan on that one. “I know of no community projects that were committed to anyone at any time.”

Besides, he added: “Any spending decisions by government go through rigorous processes that are well known to the members opposite, and I expect every project will follow the same course.”

Coleman ventured one more fishing expedition: “The premier doesn’t know if any of his members were actually talking to the member for Abbotsford South from the time after the election through to the change of government?”

Horgan still wasn’t biting: “It’s a free society. People talk all the time. I can speak for myself (and) I did not speak to the member for Abbotsford South.”

Coleman finally let it drop, though not without hinting that the B.C. Liberals might find a way to revive the allegations in another unspecified forum.

“This will probably lead to other conversations elsewhere,” he said. “A whole different other conversation that doesn’t belong in this chamber.”

One could say the same about the rest of Coleman’s insinuations about dealings between the New Democrats and Plecas.

The Liberals presented not a shred of evidence to support such a serious attack on the integrity of the Speaker of the legislature.

Nor were the flat out denials long in coming.

NDP house leader Mike Farnworth was the only New Democrat who dealt faceto-face with Plecas on his decision to serve as Speaker. No offers were made, none solicited, he told me Thursday.

Plecas himself said the same.

He also reminded me that any exchange of favours to secure high office would be illegal.

There matters stood when the fall session of the legislature adjourned Thursday. With the Liberals picking a new leader early in the new year, it was also Coleman’s final day in the house as leader of the Opposition.

But his parting shot served as a reminder of the lingering bitterness among the Liberals over what happened on the opening day back in September, when Plecas broke ranks with them and accepted the Speaker’s chair under the NDP.

Ironically, shortly after Coleman went after Plecas Wednesday, the Speaker himself was siding with the Liberals on an NDP plan to install political aides in the supposed-to-be non-partisan constituency offices of cabinet ministers.

Horgan disclosed last week that henceforth political aides would staff the constituency offices of cabinet ministers in order to serve as the eyes and ears of the often absent ministers themselves.

The Liberals protested on grounds that the political staff could interfere in the workings of offices that are supposed to serve constituents of every political persuasion, and do so in confidence.

The Speaker would appear to agree, judging from what he said late Wednesday afternoon at a meeting of the all-party committee that manages legislature business.

“I’m a bit concerned that we’re treading on some pretty significantly serious ground here, which affects the neutrality of the constituency offices,” said Plecas. “At least at this point it seems to me to be a pretty significant shift in practice, and I’m just not feeling good about it at all.”

At the Speaker’s urging, further discussion was adjourned until the legislature clerks research the NDP move and offer advice on how to preserve principles of confidentiality and nonpartisanship in constituency offices. Report due back Dec. 13.

Good move by the Speaker to take some distance from the New Democrats on the issue. Perhaps it could also provide an opening for the Liberals to drop their unremitting hostility toward Plecas and start showing him some respect.

His parting shot served as a reminder of the lingering bitterness among the Liberals over what happened on the opening day back in September.