Terrence Robertson
Terrence Robertson's assignment as special prosecutor looking into alleged election irregularities involving former solicitor general Kash Heed ended when the key spokesman for the criminal justice branch was checking the Web last week and learned Mr. Robertson's firm had donated $1,000 to Mr. Heed's campaign for a Vancouver-area seat.
In his first comments on the turmoil that resulted, Mr. Robertson was not specific Monday about what prompted alarm bells in the criminal justice branch, but that he received a call last Tuesday from the senior civil servant who recruited him for the post in January.
Robert Gillen, the assistant deputy minister in the Attorney-General's office, asked whether Mr. Robertson thought he was compromised. Mr. Robertson, who knew his firm donated the money last year and who nonetheless accepted the assignment as special prosecutor, said he didn't think there was a conflict.
Mr. Gillen had a different opinion.
"He said, 'Well. I think your perception is perhaps not accurate because, in my opinion, there is a serious problem here with respect to this and the way the public will perceive this, the fact that you approved charges against Mr. Heed's two main political campaign officers, but did not charge him may well be perceived as having been influenced by your firm's connection with the Liberal party."
In a 10-minute news conference that left little time for questions, Mr. Robertson told reporters that he respected Mr. Gillen's view because they have known each other for 30 years. He decided to resign.
"It wasn't until I spoke to Mr. Gillen, whose opinion I have a good deal of respect for, that I fully understood how this might be perceived by the public," he said at his firm Harper Grey's 32nd-floor offices in downtown Vancouver.
For the first time Monday, Neil MacKenzie, who has been in the spotlight as a spokesman for the criminal justice branch, disclosed that he brought the donations to the attention of Mr. Gillen, effectively leading to Mr. Robertson's ouster.
"Simply out of interest in the file and trying to familiarize myself a little bit with some of the processes involved, I was looking at the Elections B.C. website last Tuesday morning.
"When I looked at the campaign finance report for Mr. Heed that was posted there, I noticed that it had a donation from Mr. Robertson's law firm indicated as one of the campaign donations," he said. "I brought that to Mr. Gillen's attention."
During Monday's 10-minute briefing, Mr. Robertson said he was not savvy to politics.
"I am not a political guy. I am not a member of any political party. I've never participated in the political process."
Mr. Robertson said he has never even met Mr. Heed, a seasoned police officer in Vancouver and West Vancouver who became solicitor general after the May, 2009 election. Mr. Heed quit in April upon learning the RCMP was investigating alleged Election Act violations relating to the campaign in Vancouver-Fraserview and that investigators wanted to interview him.
Mr. Robertson said he has only ever made two donations. One was to former Liberal attorney general Wally Oppal - "a longtime friend" - and the other to the campaign of former federal Liberal Stephen Owen, who ran in a Vancouver-area seat.
Mr. Robertson's decision to resign last week was part of a tumultuous 48 hours in B.C. politics. On Monday, May. 3, Mr. Heed was exonerated, but criminal and Election Act charges were recommended against three men - two of them campaign aides in Mr. Heed's successful bid to win Vancouver-Fraserview.
On Tuesday, hours after Mr. Robertson had his discussion with Mr. Gillen, then quit, Mr. Heed was sworn in as solicitor general. Then, after thinking it over, Mr. Heed quit the next day.
On Monday, Mr. Robertson described the situation as "a bit of a comedy of errors in terms of the timing."
Mr. Robertson apologized profusely for the situation Monday. "It is now clear that I should not have accepted this assignment. For that, I am truly very sorry."
Ian Bailey