CKNW Editorial
for May 7, 2001

Actually, we haven’t had as much loony tunes this election, so far, as I would have thought. Oh, we’ve had one racism charge which is pretty good considering the makeup of our population. One charge of homophobia in the Cantonese language – we think – the candidate may have meant pedophilia. And one candidate running as hard as he can to avoid confrontation with his NDP opponent. Pretty tame stuff when you think of it.

But there has been a major issue, broken as so often happens, by Vaughn Palmer of the Sun. It’s pretty typical for the NDP – a minister makes a back of the envelope deal with a forest company, this time for about $30M, to buy back timber rights. I say buy back for as a caller reminded us last Friday, these rights aren’t purchased by the forest company – they are essentially granted with the crown getting its money out by way of stumpage.

Doman Industries – scarcely for the first time this past decade – are in trouble. They need an infusion of cash and it happens that the people to whom this cash will be paid are workers in a couple of NDP ridings where the NDP could use all the help they can get. And how better than to sell their timber rights, which they essentially got for nothing, back to the government that gave them to them.

This leads to two stories.

The first is that Forests Minister Gordon Wilson, without approval of cabinet, without approval of Treasury Board, without telling the Minister of Finance who must write the cheque and without telling the Premier made what to these old legal eyes looks like a binding deal.

The second story is more serious – believe it or not. That story is that Premier Dosanjh waited several days to react and when he did, it was only to call into question the legality of the transaction and to see if due process had been followed. The only reason this has not startled more people is that gutlessness at the top with this bunch has been the order of the day since that lamentable day in November 1991 when they came to power.

Let me spell it out for the premier.

Gordon Wilson should have his ass fired out of cabinet … no ifs, ands or buts about it. This sort of extra legal behaviour is unacceptable even with these clowns. Moreover, this goes to the base of the system. Treasury Board and Cabinet control the expenditure of public funds. The only time a minister can spend money is when he follows due process. Contrary to popular misconception, ministers cannot just spend money as they wish.

I suppose it might have been one thing if Mr Wilson had promised a new clubhouse for the boy scouts of his riding but even then, without the funds set out for the legislature to vote on, without proper authorization by cabinet and Treasury Board that would be outside his jurisdiction. But this is big league stuff folks. On the excuse that the land was needed for the settlement of native land claims – which it clearly isn’t since no claim in the area has got close to dividing up timber rights – but really to ingratiate himself to his political pals in the IWA – Gordon Wilson has bound the incoming government to pay up to $30M to Doman Industries.

No one wants to see jobs lost. But this is just to cozy for comfort. The IWA, which supported Gordon Wilson in the leadership race cannot be blamed for either trying to protect IAW jobs – that, after all is what their reason for being is – nor can they be faulted for trying to get a political debt paid off … that’s how politics works. No, the fault lies with Mr Wilson and one can only wonder why he, who has made such pretty speeches about parliamentary traditions, wouldn’t resign.

But, the buck stops at the premier’s office and he has quite a blind spot when it comes to the sins of his colleagues. Knowing for 8 months that his premier was under criminal investigation and thus should resign, Mr Dosanjh did nothing. Knowing that a former premier and another cabinet minister had made a back of the envelope deal to cheat a forest company of its rights, Mr Dosanjh did nothing … except, of course, to approve an appeal hoping that would keep the case under wraps until the election was past.

Would it cost Mr Dosanjh votes if he were to fire Mr Wilson?

That shouldn’t be a consideration. The Premier is expected to do the right thing irrespective of the political consequences. In fact, a prompt and surgical firing would likely have gained Mr Dosanjh some support from a public that has seen a lack of discipline for nearly 10 years.

Many said at the time he crossed the floor, abandoning his own party for the NDP, that Gordon Wilson would be a mixed blessing at best for the NDP … that he would look out for Gordon long before he would care about anyone else. This has proved to be the case.

As the worst president in US History proclaimed … it’s not your enemies that hurt you in politics … it’s your friends.

Premier Dosanjh, so brave a man in so many ways during his career and in his personal life, has cringed from dealing with errant colleagues and that more than anything, perhaps, is the reason he and his party are on the brink of extinction.