The British Columbia legislature has become a little less awesome with the resignation of Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner.
"If you told me when I was an intern in 1989 that I would have been here 22 years later, having been an MLA for 15 years and a cabinet minister in three different portfolios, it's not likely that I or anyone else would have believed you," he said.
Penner stepped down from cabinet in the summer and announced he would not seek re-election. At the time he was anticipating a fall election, he said today as he announced he is resigning his seat as MLA.
"It's been a fantastic experience, but every season has a beginning and an end, and for me this is the end of my political season," he said.
Penner has taken a job as senior counsel to Vancouver law firm Davis LLP. He shared a letter from conflict of interest commissioner Paul Fraser saying he was clear to take the job, but should be mindful of his cabinet oath of confidentiality and the provisions of the lobbyists registration act.
"This is the right thing for my family and myself to do at this time," said Penner, who is 45 years old, married in the last few years and has a daughter under one year old. He said he may return to politics in the future, though he doesn't see himself as a career politician.
Premier Christy Clark said it was clear Penner would leave before the 2013 fixed election date. "I'm really happy for him," she said. "Barry and I started together in 1996 . . . We kind of grew up together in the legislature. He's served a long time and he's done a really tremendous service."
Penner served as Attorney General, environment minister and minister of aboriginal relations and reconciliation.
He also entertained reporters with tales of his cat Ranger and Roger the marmot living outside Victoria's Empress Hotel near the legislative buildings. He was also the subject of the website Barry Penner is Awesome.
The resignation will take effect in January, 2012 and Clark will have six months to call a by-election to replace him.
Penner's resignation follows that of Iain Black who quit the Liberal government to take a job with the Vancouver Board of Trade. Clark said there may be more government MLAs quitting before the 2013 election.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Van Isle
12 weeks ago
Rats leaving the sinking
Rats leaving the sinking ship?
Skywalker
12 weeks ago
Never been really tested.
His riding would elect a fencepost with hair if it held a BC Liberal or Socred stamp.
DPL
12 weeks ago
Wasn't Penner the guy whop
Wasn't Penner the guy whop was trying to convince a off island marmot,to leave the grounds of the Empress, and go back to the mainland. He was just another Liberal saying yes Gordo, you are right Gordo. Nice pension
ChrisB
12 weeks ago
AG to Davis LLP - An Established Route
I've just picked up on this item so this is an off-the-cuff comment.
I don't know much about Penner and therefore won't criticize him. However ...
I note the reference to the Conflict-of-Interest Commissioner Paul Fraser. My guess is that Fraser could, if he wanted to be candid with the public (cue the laugh track here), reveal much about Davis LLP's longstanding and very cosy relationship with the Ministry of Attorney General. Penner may well be settling into a real job. I can cite other examples of Davis LLP providing a convenient waypoint for people moving between the Ministry of AG and other plum positions. The most interesting one I've found is that of Court of Appeal Justice Harvey Groberman, who evidently stopped in at Davis LLP for a matter of minutes enroute from the Ministry to his initial appointment to the bench. In 2008 I was before Justice Groberman and two of his judicial colleagues, without counsel and facing two lawyers from the Ministry of AG. During that hearing I raised the issue of his former employment with the Ministry. He dismissed that as a non-issue. Groberman is one of the judges I named in a comprehensive complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council that I filed more than a year ago:
http://www.uncharted.ca/images/users/ssigurdur/2011_pub_letter_lori_douglas.pdf
Perhaps I should have also filed a complaint with Paul Fraser's office, but what good would that have done? It's common knowledge that conflict-of-interest is pervasive throughout the political and legal communities. And it's an issue that no one in the media wants to pursue.