vanDongen Named Acting Solicitor General

Tuesday, April 01, 2008 04:49 PM

Premier Gordon Campbell today announced the interim appointment of John van Dongen as acting Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

"I want to thank Attorney General Wally Oppal for stepping in immediately and filling the role of Solicitor General for the past few days," Campbell said. "Given the important and separate responsibilities of the Ministry of Attorney General and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, we are keeping these two ministries separate and distinct. John van Dongen has provided tremendous service to the people of British Columbia as both an MLA and cabinet minister, and I thank him for taking on this position."

The Ministry of Attorney General is responsible for criminal justice and family law; administrative law policy; court administration; legal aid and public legal education; alternate dispute resolution; family maintenance; legal services to government; immigration and multiculturalism services; and the Child and Youth Officer.

The Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General is responsible for police and correctional services; provincial emergency preparedness; crime prevention programs; criminal record check and protection order registry; emergency social services; victim assistance; liquor control and licensing; gaming policy and enforcement; consumer services; and the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles. The ministry is also responsible for three Crown corporations and agencies: ICBC, BC Lottery Corporation, and Liquor Distribution Branch.

Van Dongen will remain as acting Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General pending the resolution of the matter involving MLA John Les, who stepped aside as Solicitor General Friday, March 28. Van Dongen will remain Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 04:49 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: lostfaith on April 1 2008 5:07 PM

Thats nice, John Les loses his job over unproven alegations and Gordon Campbell gets to keep his as a convicted drunk driver.

Posted by: Palopu on April 1 2008 5:42 PM

One has nothing to do with the other.

Campbells drunk driving in the US is old, old, news. No one gives a fiddlers about it, so let it die.

Posted by: Eagleone on April 2 2008 3:00 AM

A lot of money to be made in the liquor and lottery business....

Posted by: lostfaith on April 2 2008 8:08 AM

Palopu
You don't get I see. The Campbell liberals are a double standards party, obviously.
The point I was making is whats good for the goose should be good for the gander.
Campbell should have stepped down for his CONVICTION, just as he has his ministers are made to step down for allegations against them. Total kaka
Let it die you say, why are you part of the Campbell circle of car dealers, school board chair family we all know about? Don't like your family being critized perhaps LOL.

Posted by: socredible on April 2 2008 8:23 AM

Why do we need MORE Cabinet Ministers to run BC than the US has to oversee their whole Federal government?

WAC Bennett ran the whole government with he, and many of his Ministers handling multiple portfolios. And a lot of things we now seem to feel we need to have separate Ministry for were simply departments of existing Ministries.

And the whole 'cost' of government was much more affordable, while his Ministers seemed to be much more 'accountable' than is now the case.

But back in those days, being a MLA wasn't considered to be a "full-time job" for a well-paid, well-pampered elite, and the members held down a regular job in the communities in which they lived.

Posted by: Death to Socialism on April 2 2008 11:46 AM

There are a lot more bs ministries these days. The gov't has a lot more asses to wipe.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 2 2008 4:52 PM

IMO, more ministers makes it easier for the government to justify more money for themselves.
As in "we are just SO busy and over worked!"
We all know that's a crock, but it works!
The job doesn't get done any better,but it does seem they can use that to justify more perks for themselves.
It's a job,just like any other job,and they are NOT the elite, but they sure as hell like to think they are, at our expense.
A minister now makes 95,000 of my tax dollars per,plus expenses, and I didn't get a say in that.
They just took it.
And Palopu,normally you call it pretty close,but I really think you are missing the boat on Campbell and his boys.
And that's from a guy who voted Liberal all his life.
I will never condone what Campbell did when he was busted for impaired.
He should also be resigning over the handling of the Basi/Virk fiasco.
And taking Wally Opal with him!
He SHOULD have resigned over the impaired, and I hope to hell he is haunted by that forever!
I also believe that those who defend this hippocrate will regret that one day in the not too distant future.
The longer they stay at the fair,the more cracks are starting to appear in the facade.
I don't think we have seen anything yet!

Posted by: astro on April 2 2008 5:02 PM

A commentator on another site (The Legislature Raids) said, "Many will remember Omega, a Norwegian fish farming company in a scandal that led to the resignation from cabinet of John van Dongen as former agriculture, food and fisheries minister.

Van Dongen said at the time he was stepping aside after he revealed he was under RCMP investigation for his handling of a salmon farming file.

Documents obtained by CBC television show provincial Fisheries Ministry staff battling efforts by the province's Water, Land and Air Protection Ministry to charge Stolt Sea Farm Inc., under the federal Fisheries Act, in connection with the escape of up to 55,000 Atlantic salmon in August 2000."
It's nice to see the BC Liberals are consistent with their appointments. Not much depth in that caucus.

Posted by: socredible on April 2 2008 7:39 PM

No depth in it at all. And the leader of the pack is the shallowest of all of them. A Global groupie in Gore-tex. I used to think Dave Barrett was the worst Premier this Province has ever seen, with Mike Harcourt and Glenn Clark close behind. But Gordo and his gang are absolute rock-bottom. There is no honour amongst that pack of thieves, and the quicker we're rid of the lot of them the better off we'll be.

Posted by: mouse on April 2 2008 8:29 PM

I am sure all these people in government have qualifications for these positions!!!! The blind leading the blind. Van Dongen investigated by the RCMP! We all know what a good job they do of investigating themselves might as well have Van Dongen overseing the whole thing.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 2 2008 8:37 PM

You really have to wonder why Campbell would appoint someone who has his own skeletons in the closet??
Stinky...very stinky!

Posted by: govsux on April 3 2008 8:24 AM

no one to vote for..........govsux