VICTORIA – The New Democrats are reiterating their call for a public inquiry on the seventh anniversary of the unprecedented police raid on the legislature, a day when the public is not any closer to getting questions about what really happened with the B.C. Rail corruption scandal.

Leonard Krog“Seven years ago today, British Columbians were shocked when police raided the legislature, the very seat of government.

Unfortunately, while since that time there have been many new questions raised, the public isn’t much closer to learning the truth about what really happened,” said Attorney General critic Leonard Krog.

“Christy Clark said in the fall she thought the public deserved answers, but since declaring she would like to run for a position where she would actually have the power to do just that, she’s changed her tune.”

In October, Christy Clark said “there are outstanding questions that Mike de Jong and the government must answer… for heaven’s sakes, the public has a right to know what those answers are and make our judgment about their validity on their own” (CKNW, 21 Oct. 2010). Since launching her leadership bid, Christy Clark has said she does not see any need for an inquiry to help the public get answers.

“If Christy Clark were really serious about the public’s right to know, she wouldn’t be flip-flopping on the need to get to the bottom of this mess just because it’s less comfortable now that she’s running for the premier’s seat,” said Krog.

Krog said that other B.C. leadership candidates have also refused to all a public inquiry into B.C. Rail corruption scandal, noting that Christy Clark, George Abbott, Kevin Falcon, and Mike de Jong were all cabinet ministers when the legislature was raided seven years ago.

“It’s not for nothing that Mike de Jong is known as the $6 million man. His own office signed off on the deal to secure guilty pleas from former B.C. Liberal political aides Dave Basi and Bob Virk and bring a sudden end to the B.C. Rail corruption trial. And while he was at the centre of the fall-out from the raid on the legislature as transportation minister, Kevin Falcon refuses to support calls for an inquiry,” said Krog.

Krog pointed out that Clark was also a co-author of the B.C. Liberals’ 2001 election platform, which explicitly promised not to sell B.C. Rail.

“Whether it’s B.C. Rail or the HST, British Columbians just can’t trust the B.C. Liberals to keep their word. Christy Clark has proven that time and time again, as have Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Mike de Jong,” said Krog.

The B.C. New Democrats have been calling for a public inquiry into B.C. Rail, and have compiled a list of 100 unanswered questions, including 70 questions submitted to the legislature in 2007 and a further 30 that have arisen more recently. A list of the questions is attached.

Attachment: 10-12-28_bc_rail_100_questions