Clark vows action on ethnic memo
VICTORIA – Richmond-Steveston MLA John Yap has resigned from the B.C. cabinet pending the outcome of an investigation into government conduct on outreach to ethnic communities.
Premier Christy Clark told the legislature Monday that Yap is stepping aside as advanced education and multiculturalism minister until an internal investigation is complete.
Clark apologized for a third time in the legislature Monday, before being grilled by NDP MLAs about her office staff's involvement in the plan. Speaking to reporters after question period, Clark did not rule out resigning herself, depending on the outcome of an internal probe by her deputy minister.
"When we have all the facts, and when the report is tabled, we will likely be required to take further action, and I will take that action," Clark said.
B.C. Liberal MLAs held an extended caucus meeting Monday to discuss a leaked memo describing use of government resources to boost the party's popularity with ethnic communities. Cabinet ministers held a hastily arranged meeting in Vancouver Sunday, and emerged united in support of Clark.
One disputed point is a plan to apologize in the legislature this month for the "head tax" on Chinese immigrants, imposed by Ottawa from 1885 to 1935. Such apologies are proposed in the strategy memo as "quick wins" before the May 14 provincial election.
Retiring B.C. Liberal MLA Kash Heed objected to the move on the weekend, telling CKNW radio that such an apology would be "hollow."
The NDP released another document Monday, a December 2011 spreadsheet describing a meeting to "target swing ridings" and "target ethnicities" including Chinese, South Asian, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese.
Clark announced Friday that she has accepted the resignation of her long-time assistant, Kim Haakstad, who distributed the ethnic voter plan to party and government staff via their personal e-mail addresses.
Haakstad, Clark's deputy chief of staff, and "outreach" staff from the premier's office are subject to an internal investigation ordered by Clark Thursday. John Dyble, head of the public service, is to examine whether government resources were used to help deliver ethnic votes to the B.C. Liberal Party.
The January 2012 draft strategy memo, leaked to the NDP, discusses ways to improve the governing party's popularity with immigrant communities, including recruiting new members and spokespeople to call and write to ethnic media outlets. Clark issued an apology for the document, read in the legislature Thursday by Deputy Premier Rich Coleman.
"The document did not recognize there are lines that cannot be crossed in conducting this outreach [to ethnic communities] and it is unacceptable," the statement says. "The language in this draft document and some of the recommendations are absolutely inappropriate."
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