CKNW Editorial
for September 30, 1999

I want to deal this morning with the interview yesterday with Gordon Wilson especially the part where I referred to his affair with Judi Tyabji, now his wife, back in 1993. The issue with Wilson is one of credibility. He clearly told the legislature that he had heard Martin Luther King's famous speech, "I have a dream" and consented to having that said about him in the biographical introduction to his book by the eminent historian John Munro, who states in that introduction that he got his information from Mr Wilson.

There cannot possibly be any doubt when these two passages are read together - Gordon Wilson lied about hearing that famous speech of Martin Luther King that everyone in the world alive at the time remembers - the speech that I'm sure every school child knows about – he was a 14 year old in Kenya at the time.

Now in itself this is perhaps of little moment. So he exaggerated his importance and achievements - we've all probably done that. But this takes on a new importance as Wilson seeks the leadership of the New Democratic Party and this the premiership of the province. This is why Vaughn Palmer has dealt with the credibility in his columns - this is why I have editorialized on the matter.

The question arises as to whether or not I should have raised Mr Wilson's personal life. Let me tell you that I agonized over that question before the interview. I resolved it this way - if, during the interview Mr Wilson (who had insisted upon the interview, incidentally) .. if he came clean or reasonably close to it, I would give him marks for courage and honesty, at least at this stage, and let the matter drop. If he tried to waffle and compound his fibbing, I would feel obliged to put to him another time he was very economical with the truth, namely the Tyabji issue. During the interview and after hearing Wilson equivocate I felt had no choice but to remind people of his past equivocations.

Let me now remind people about the Tyabji affair. The relationships of people are normally nobody else's business. But these were not ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. Judi Tyabji, green as grass politically, was appointed by Wilson to be House Leader of the Liberal caucus, a very important position indeed. The rumbles of discontent from Liberal MLAs and party workers started hitting the media, including me. At the time, and under Ms Tyabji's leadership the Liberals were not looking good in the House. They seemed unfocussed and there was considerable anxiety being expressed by their supporters. In due course, rumbles about a Tyabji/Wilson affair came closer and closer to the surface. I did an editorial saying that the problems in the Liberal caucus had to do with an "unhelpful" relationship, without mentioning any names.

Let's pause there. Had Mr Wilson at that or any earlier point leveled with his caucus and admitted that he and Ms Tyabji were an item, the problems would all have been dealt with internally. But Wilson chose to try to bluff his way out of it. In due course, a reporter named John Pifer got hold of a compromising letter which he released on my show - he used to do the spot Mike Smyth now does. Mr Wilson a press conference and denied he was romantically involved with Ms Tyabji - he denied this later to my colleague Philip Till and again to me the following morning.

The importance of this was not the fact he was having an affair - I of all people would not and did not criticize his private life. The issue was that his private affairs were affecting his ability to lead the Liberal Party which was, after all, the Official Opposition and that he was not telling the truth.

Why bring this up again yesterday?

Because Mr Wilson wishes to be premier. The media have been, in the past, been accused of not examining carefully those who seek power. Bill Vander Zalm is a good example of where the media played soft pitch with a man who ought to have been examined far more closely.

Now it is ironic that over the years I have been accused of being too easy on Mr Wilson, too cosy. My colleague Mike Smyth gave me a hell of a public roasting in May of 1997 for being too close to Mr Wilson in his then position of being Constitutional adviser to the NDP government. Now I'm accused by Mr Wilson of having it in for him.

The situation is a very simple one. Mr Wilson is clearly seeking the leadership of the province and the premiership. His credibility thus becomes very much in issue as does that of other candidates. Ujjal Dosanjh, the Attorney-General, will attest to the fact that his credibility has been questioned especially by me. He has, however, accepted this as part of political life, however much he must have disliked it. This goes with the territory.

In conclusion, Gordon Wilson's credibility is very much in question through his own utterances. I sincerely and deeply regret that I found it necessary to reopen matters involving his personal life but I believed yesterday and believe now that his refusal to deal honestly with the other matters raised gave me no alternative but to demonstrate that this is not the first time Gordon Wilson has, in order to protect his political ass, been very economical indeed with the truth.