Acting chief electoral officer Craig James has been unavailable to appear before a legislative committee and to explain changes at Elections B.C., the independent body he temporarily oversees. We can now tell you where he is.

“I have been invited to speak at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Nairobi, Kenya on the day the Committee expects to sit this week,” James wrote in a Sept. 12 letter explaining to the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives why he would be unavailable.

James provided written answers to 30 questions, and two other Elections B.C. officials attended the meeting.

Last week the Tyee reported James had announced to Elections B.C. staff a restructuring that terminated deputy chief electoral officer Linda Johnson's position. She'd been with the agency 28 years, 19 of them as deputy.

According to the CPA's website, “The Association's mission is to promote the advancement of parliamentary democracy by enhancing knowledge and understanding of democratic governance.”

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.