A B.C. Liberal Party candidate whose former company received more money than it should have from the provincial government must explain to voters what happened, said his New Democratic Party opponent.
“It's his opportunity to set the record straight if he wishes to do that, and I think he should,” said Lana Popham, the NDP candidate in Saanich South. “I think he owes us an explanation.”
Popham and the Green Party's Brian Gordon are running against Liberal candidate Robin Adair. Before entering politics Adair was the vice president for government relations and communications for WCG International Consultants Ltd., a company that provides job placement services for people on welfare.
A finance ministry audit shows WCG and other employment contractors were paid at least $1 million and as much as $6.5 million they should not have been, the Tyee reported after obtaining the audit through a freedom of information request.
Adair's campaign manager said Adair was unlikely to speak to the Tyee. Adair did not call back by posting time.
A story on the website of Victoria's CFAX radio quoted Adair saying he is the "victim of political gamesmanship" and that this is an old issue being brought up because he is running for political office. "He maintains that while he worked in the communications branch of the company, he had absolutely no decision making roles," the story said.
Adair was a vice president of WCG. The province's lobbyist registry shows he contacted several MLAs on behalf of the company, including Premier Gordon Campbell, Health Minister George Abbott, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell.
“Here we have a close friend of the Liberals, who's done very well by that relationship, seeking to be elected,” said Rob Fleming, an NDP incumbent running in Victoria-Swan Lake. “This is a company that was supposed to be paid to transition people from welfare to work and ended up putting itself on corporate welfare.”
It's disturbing that the provincial government continued to overpay the contractors even though earlier audits had uncovered similar problems, he said. “Instead of being fixed, it happened again.”
Meanwhile the Victoria Times Colonist continues to identify Adair as a “former television anchor”, including in an April 22 story, ignoring his more recent work.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Rod Smelser
3 years ago
Few Comments
This story is receiving few comments. Why?
The whole trend towards privatizing placement and counselling services has been going on nationally, with federal employment and unemployment insurance related counselling and job placement as well, since the early 1990s. It's a major issue.
Skywalker
3 years ago
Maybe
It is before the courts, Just kidding. I don't think anyone here is surprised by the dirt that comes up out of the privatization efforts..
crh
3 years ago
I've heard Robin Adair
interviewed on radio, and he is just another Liberal 'on the take' player so abundant in BC. When are people going to realize that to privatize services means profit for a select few, and the rest of us get screwed.
Frank
3 years ago
Rod
"I don't think anyone here is surprised by the dirt that comes up out of the privatization efforts.."
I think that's the case too. It's like a headline that says "Campbell gains support of Chamber of Commerce" :-)
We expect the Liberals to be corrupt and hand out money to their friends.
MAC
3 years ago
No Comment - Keeps it low key
Someone asked "why are there so few comments on this article"?
The answer to that would be because the BC Liberals want to keep it quiet so they keep it low key by not posting or responding. They think that as long as they don't comment - it won't be news worthy.
The bigger question is "why isn't mainstream media picking it up"? This should be a major story during an election.
Aurora
3 years ago
You got it
No kidding. And where is 'mainstream media' - oh right, they would be ..where? Oh yes, hauling James over the coals. I'm even getting fed up with CBC's radio news. Nothing but glowing Campbell soundbites, lapping up his every word. Not a peep out of them today on this subject either. I agree, too, low interest on this latest little Liberal slip-of-the-cashflow here because, really, are any of us surprised? Chalk up another sleazy act of public theft on to the already litany of 'em racked up by the Liberal party. But hey! Bring on that carbon tax. Election coverage is worsening by the day, but with a Canwest umbrella over the entire media output in this city, is that surprising either? As for The Straight, I gave up on them years ago. The only election coverage effort they are worth referencing is during muni elections.