Premier-designate changes tune on need to get to the bottom of B.C. Rail plea deal

After promising real change, Christy Clark is showing that at the end of the day, she’ll just bring more of the same old deception from the B.C. Liberal government.

Last fall, Christy Clark talked tough on getting to the bottom of the $6 million plea deal for former B.C. Liberal political insiders convicted in the B.C. Rail corruption scandal, even listing a dozen questions the government “must answer”:

• Christy Clark then: “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 our own.” (CKNW, 26 Oct. 2010)

But now that she’s in a position to do something about getting to the bottom of the $6 million deal, Christy Clark has slammed the door shut on any real investigation:

• Christy Clark now: “[The $6 million B.C. Rail plea deal is] not something I intend to reconsider. It's a decision that was made and it's not something we will be revisiting.” (scrum at the legislature, 7 March 2011).

As other B.C. Liberal leadership candidates have noted, British Columbians deserve to get to the bottom of this mess:

• George Abbott: ““There are a lot of people who are concerned and frustrated and, in some cases, angry about that settlement, particularly given that the defendants in that case pleaded guilty… One of the areas where I think people do not have trust and confidence [in the government] is around the settlement on B.C. Rail.” (Business in Vancouver, 19 Jan. 2011)

• Kevin Falcon: “But the issue is, when they're pleading guilty, why on earth are they getting their legal fees paid?” (CKNW, 6 Jan. 2011)

The B.C. New Democrats are calling on Christy Clark to call an inquiry that looks into the $6 million taxpayer funded bailout of the B.C. Liberal insiders convicted of corruption so British Columbians can get the answers they deserve.