Until Tuesday, the controversial sale of BC Rail and the corruption trial it sparked was a subject deemed taboo by the candidates running to replace Premier Gordon Campbell.
Despite growing calls for a public inquiry into the many questionable aspects of the $1-billion deal, which involved Liberal Party supporters and insiders, the candidates had all taken a similar position: any kind of open inquisition would be a waste of time and money.
Of course, the real reason was the embarrassment it might cause those same Liberal supporters and insiders, not to mention the damage it could inflict on the party itself. There are fears a full-scale probe could do to the B.C. Liberals what the Gomery inquiry did for Paul Martin's Liberals in Ottawa once upon a time. (Help them lose power).
Now, none of the leadership candidates has changed his tune on this front. But on Tuesday, George Abbott signalled that he's at least not afraid to put the subject on the table, even if ultimately does cast the Liberal government in a negative light.
Mr. Abbott told a news conference that if he becomes Liberal leader, and the province's next premier, he will appoint a "respected third party" to examine the decision to pay the $6-million legal fees of the two men who were found guilty of fraud and breach of trust related to the BC Rail deal.
Word of the secret arrangement leaked out shortly after Dave Basi and Bob Virk suddenly pleaded guilty to the charges six years after they were laid and after years of pre-trial wrangling. The guilty pleas were contingent upon the government paying the legal bills, which is contrary to provincial policy.
Word of the special pact sparked anger across the province.
"I know this bothers people and it certainly bothers me," Mr. Abbott said. "We need to make sure that in the future, settlements of this nature are fair but also protect the taxpayer."
While Mr. Abbott did not call for a public inquiry into the sale, neither did he completely close the door on the possibility.
"One can look at some of the blogs and columns and hear a variety of things about who dined with whom on what day," Mr. Abbott continued. "And while that's fascinating, I hardly think it justifies at this point an inquiry. But perhaps there is out there some element of evidence that might. And if there is, I'm not entirely closing the door on it."
Mr. Abbott was undoubtedly referring to the mounting discussion and speculation in the blogosphere and elsewhere over the role candidate Christy Clark might have played behind the scenes in the days and months leading up to the sale. It's no secret that the former Liberal cabinet minister was an acquaintance of Erik Bornmann, the lobbyist who admitted to bribing the two accused in the corruption trial.
It was suggested by the defence during the corruption trial that Ms. Clark might have been a government source for Mr. Bornmann on BC Rail. (Mr. Bornmann was a lobbyist for one of the companies bidding on the rail line). The defence promised to produce documentation to back up this claim, but the trial ended before it could do so.
Ms. Clark has also been criticized because a number of people who emerged as controversial figures in the trial – such as her brother Bruce Clark and former Liberal backroom operative Patrick Kinsella – have prominent roles in her campaign. (Mr. Clark as chief fundraiser and Mr. Kinsella as a strategist).
Ms. Clark has maintained, quite rightly, that although the reputations of some friends and family members were besmirched in the BC Rail controversy, none have ever been accused of any wrongdoing. She has insisted that her conduct concerning BC Rail is beyond reproach – and certainly nothing has surfaced in the way of hard documentation to suggest otherwise.
If that were ever to change, however, it would be a new ballgame.
What we do know for sure is that with eight weeks to go, the B.C. Liberal leadership race is about to heat up. Because the stakes are so enormous, British Columbians will begin to witness more firefights among the candidates. Mr. Abbott's call for an investigation into the $6-million BC Rail plea deal was a shot, intended or not, at candidate Mike de Jong, who was attorney general at the time and the person who had to approve the decision.
If circumstances give Mr. Abbott a reason to call for an inquiry into BC Rail, it will force his fellow candidates into a truly uncomfortable corner. None more so than Ms. Clark.
Gary Mason