VICTORIA – New Democrats exposed a plan to silence a government employee who had information that would damage the premier and the Liberal Party. The scheme provides further evidence that a truly independent investigation is needed into the Quick Wins scandal.

An email buried within nearly 10,000 pages of documents relating to the scandal details a plan to deal with the staff member, including the plan to offer a financial inducement.

“The premier and everyone involved have a lot of questions to answer. British Columbians deserve to know what this government was trying to cover up, and why they were developing a plan that contemplated offering a job or money to keep someone quiet,” said New Democrat leader Adrian Dix.

“This email was part of the documentation reviewed by the premier’s Deputy Minister, John Dyble, yet it did not come up once in his report. The government needs to confirm whether or not Mr. Dyble saw this email and what if anything he did as a result,” said Dix.

Dyble’s investigation following the Quick Wins scandal never looked at wrongdoing in the Liberal caucus or the B.C. Liberal party. The documents pertaining to the investigation were only released after the election, and only after being heavily redacted.

“The government’s response today shows they continue to believe that stonewalling is their best defence,” said Dix. “Instead, they should release all relevant information and order a genuinely independent investigation into this scandal.”

The email was written by Christy Clark supporter and party operative Brian Bonney, and was sent to a number of people whose identities have been redacted. It was also forwarded to then-Multiculturalism Minister John Yap.

New Democrats are calling for an independent, external investigation of the Quick Wins scandal.

View a copy of the email here.