NDP fires ex-Liberal leader from job as B.C.’s LNG advocate

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British Columbia's new NDP government has fired former provincial Liberal leader Gordon Wilson from his job as the province's liquefied natural gas advocate over concerns about his salary and the absence of written work related to his assignment.

Over the past four years, Mr. Wilson, who was also an NDP cabinet minister at one point in his career, was paid a total of $550,000, Bruce Ralston, the NDP Jobs Minister, said in an interview on Tuesday.

"There was a review of the work he was charged with doing. We were unable to find any written reports, written by him, as to what he did," Mr. Ralston said. "I think all the briefings were oral. There were no notes, even, of those oral briefings."

The minister said there was one high-level summary document in Mr. Wilson's file, but it was not written by him.

Mr. Wilson was dismissive of the NDP criticism.

In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Wilson said he wasn't hired to write reports, but rather to work to help the industry, which former BC Liberal premier Christy Clark had touted for its potential to create thousands of jobs and provide billions of dollars in revenue. Ms. Clark appointed Mr. Wilson to his post in 2013 after he endorsed her in the provincial election campaign that spring.

"To suggest that [writing reports] is some measure of my work is like complaining that your plumber didn't put in enough light fixtures," Mr. Wilson said.

He said he did contribute briefing notes, and assisted in reports done by others in government.

He worked, he said, on engagement with First Nations, worked with industry and did other things to encourage LNG prospects in British Columbia.

Mr. Wilson's axing comes as the NDP government has been firing scores of political appointees associated with the BC Liberals, who governed for 16 years until last month when they were replaced by the NDP, who are governing with support from the BC Greens.

Under the terms of his contract, Mr. Wilson will not be eligible for severance, the Jobs Ministry said.

Mr. Wilson criticized Mr. Ralston for not asking for a briefing on his work, and said the NDP never took him up, in the past few years, on offers for him to come and brief them on his work on LNG.

"What's going on obviously is they're firing somebody they think is a friend of Christy Clark and is somebody who campaigned for her in 2013 and was an outspoken supporter," Mr. Wilson said, adding he was not surprised at being fired.

"This is B.C. politics at work here.

"I think anybody who has observed it knows it. It was a very unprofessional way for the minister to proceed, but that's his choice."

Mr. Wilson has been both a BC Liberal and New Democrat. He led the Liberals, in 1991, from zero to 17 seats, but left the party over an affair with a fellow MLA, Judi Tyabji.

After subsequently crossing the floor to the New Democrats, he served as a cabinet minister and even sought the party leadership before returning to the Liberals.

Premier John Horgan weighed in on the firing of Mr. Wilson on Tuesday, telling CBC Radio, "We decided there was a better value-for-money proposition for the people of B.C. than paying $150,000 for no reports, no briefings, no memoranda, and we're going to put those resources to other activities that will benefit people."

Mr. Horgan said Mr. Wilson has been in the job for several years, but there is no LNG capacity to show for his efforts, and he would prefer to focus on more tangible economic-development prospects.

News of Mr. Wilson's firing comes a week after Malaysian energy giant Petronas announced it had cancelled an $11.4-billion LNG terminal proposed for the Northern B.C. coast.

The company cited market conditions in making its decision.

The NDP has, in opposition and on the spring election trail, been skeptical about BC Liberal enthusiasm about LNG's potential, but said it will go forward in encouraging LNG development as long as projects meet a series of conditions that include being in synch with environmental goals.