Who Dropped The Ball In The Kash Heed Mess?

Friday, May 07, 2010 03:46 AM

The Liberals may be taking a hit on the Kash Heed affair; problem is that it was not the doing of either the Attorney General Mike De Jong, or Gordon Campbell.

Picking Terrence Robertson to act as the independent counsel would have been viewed as a normal practice had it not been the fact that Robertson had donated money to Kash Heed's political campaign.

Neither De Jong nor Premier Campbell would have any reason to check on Robertson, nor would any of their immediate staff.

Should Heed have taken the time to point out that he had received a campaign contribution of $1,000 dollars from the firm that Robertson worked for? Of course.

Heed has been involved in the system for long enough to know what is a political hot potato and while it eventually fell at the feet of Robertson to stand aside, Heed should have known who his major campaign contributors were, especially since it has been reported that the police in their investigation pointed it out to the investigators.

The information was out there for all to see at Elections B.C. and it is reasonable to assume that Heed would look at who had backed in him in his quest for office.

So what does the public expect now?

Hand the file over to an independent from say Alberta as suggested by De Jong , go back to square one and have a fresh look at the actions of not only Heed's campaign officials , two of whom face charges, but also Heed himself.

If the BC government is looking for closure in the matter, they will act quickly.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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Posted on Friday, May 07, 2010 03:46 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: MoneKate on May 7 2010 6:22 AM

This Liberal government was elected on "were different" than preveous governments. "A new erra" was there slogan, there is now difference between them and the NDP. This process with an independent counsel is sureley flawed. This law firm has received over 8 million dollars of work from crown corporations over the years, so you think they are going to kill the golden goose? How bias are they going to be?

Posted by: Andyfreeze on May 7 2010 6:57 AM

Governments are very good at moving money around, and they are also very good at deciding who gets it and who doesn't.
And there is usually a reason for that.
That's called "politics"but there is a lot more to it than just that.
This is not the first time this has happened, and to believe it is an isolated incident,is completely naive.
In order to find the real culprits behind the money trail,we need to look up into the upper reaches of government.
Then we need to look at things like campain donations.
You want in?...you want a government contract?...then show us the money and we will make you a "friend".
Problem is,when money is moved around in large amounts,a portion of it always disappears.
The more that money is shuffled around,the harder it is to keep track of it all.
To think that it is all above board is just plain dumb,particularly when dealing with private companies.
They know who their friends are,and what is expected of them in return.
Stinky...very stinky,and this is far from over.
This is not simply about the government changing policy,it is about closing the lid on Pandora's box.
The govenrment may not be able to do that this time.

Posted by: ammonra on May 7 2010 8:31 AM

Campbell can be validly criticised for his actions here, as it shows a significant degree of contempt for the public. He, and nobody else, decided to reinstate Heed as a Minister and the unholy speed with which he did it, immediately, by telephone, from Europe, indicates a lack of concern for any optics whatever. If he had waited until he returned to BC, this second resignation would not have been necessary, but he had to give us all the finger, didn't he?

Posted by: Andyfreeze on May 7 2010 9:00 AM

Agreed ammonra.
The speed at which Campbell reinstated Heed is suspicious at best.
Why so fast?...what was the hurry?
In Campbells twisted,little mind,it is likely he though that would show his power and strong leadership qualities.
Huge backfire!
Instead,he came off looking like a fool.
Campbell really blew that one,and the only good thing is,had he not screwed it up the way he did,we might not know as much as we do now.
You can bet there is a lot more to come, and it remains to be seen if Campbell can get the worms back in can!
I think they are now in full damage control.

Posted by: Savvvy on May 7 2010 7:21 PM

This government sucks. Warm up the recall petition ... Where do I sign ...

BC is worse off than 10 years ago. Those in office have to go.

Posted by: jakeadoo on May 7 2010 8:38 PM

I disagree with you Ben.The boss,in this case Gordon Campbell,does the hiring or firing and since he made these choices in a short period of time,I believe he has to take the hit and answer directly for his choices.