Premier apologizes to fired LNG advocate
Comments that he did little in job, ‘defamed’ him, says ex-Liberal employee
Premier John Horgan apologized Tuesday to former Liberal leader Gordon Wilson for comments Horgan made last week about Wilson’s work as the province’s LNG advocate.
The Horgan government fired Wilson as the province’s $150,000-a-year point man on liquefied natural gas development, saying Wilson had done little to earn his money.
Horgan told CBC Radio Wilson produced “no briefings, no reports, no memoranda” during his time in the job.
But a search of the government’s own Open Information website turned up 180 pages of reports, memos and briefing notes Wilson had filed to the previous Liberal government.
“I offer an apology to Mr. Wilson,” Horgan said. “I think we need to move on.”
Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston apologized to Wilson a day earlier. Ralston had said the government did a “review” of Wilson’s work and found he had done little “other than to cash his cheques.”
Despite the apologies, Wilson said he is still considering suing Horgan and Ralston.
“They’ve really defamed my reputation,” Wilson said, noting Horgan’s comments were reported in LNG trade journals.
“International publications have now carried comments from the premier of British Columbia saying the Buy B.C. LNG program was essentially a fraud,” Wilson said.
“That’s a big problem for me if I hope to get any kind of continued work in the energy sector.”
Wilson said he wants “full disclosure” from the government about the “review” that was conducted on his work record.
“Who ordered the review? Who conducted it? Who did they interview? From my lawyer’s perspective, these are all critical issues because they go to possible malice.”
Horgan declined to comment on the review, directing questions to Ralston, who was not available Tuesday for comment.
The 180 pages of documents were posted on the government’s website in 2015 after they had been requested under freedomof-information by the NDP, then in opposition.
Ralston said Monday he didn’t know about the documents and was unaware they were released to his own party two years earlier.
Asked about the review of Wilson’s work, Ralston said he relied on information given to him by other people, without elaborating.