The B.C. Liberal government found itself on the wrong side of the news on March 11.
The media released the story that George Gretes, former ministerial assistant to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone, was facing two charges under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
The charges pertain to Gretes’ role in a complaint about deleting government e-mails in 2014, which is now known at the “triple delete scandal.”
A special prosecutor approved charges against Gretes for “wilfully making false statements to mislead, or attempt to mislead” Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
The commissioner was looking into a 2014 complaint about an incident during which it was alleged Gretes triple deleted e-mails in response to a freedom of information request.
During Denham’s investigation, Gretes testified he didn’t delete government e-mails on a subordinate’s computer.
Denham referred the case to the police, and Gretes resigned when the commissioner released her report in October 2015.
Meanwhile, Minister Stone has maintained the deleted e-mails were not official records from community meetings about travel options Highway 16 (Highway of Tears), which was the subject of the freedom of information request.
The concern with the safety of Highway 16 travel options is an ongoing issue of lack of information about missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls on that stretch of road.
That is much more of a hot-button issue now than it was in 2014.
However, it puts the B.C. Liberal government under the microscope once again on the way its upper echelon operates.
When the recent news about the charges was released, NDP Leader John Horgan reacted much the same as he did when Denham released her report.
He said it is a reflection on Premier Christy Clark’s government’s lack of ethics.
Horgan claims Clark “sets the tone for every part of her government” and the charges show “her hyper-partisan, do-whatever-it-takes-to win attitude has been taken to heart by her staff.”
Horgan notes the Clark government tried to paint whistleblower Tim Duncan as a disgruntled employee after he provided information about Gretes’ triple deleting information in the freedom of information request.
On Dec. 16, 2015, Clark announced political staff wouldn’t be deleting e-mail records in ministry offices.
Minister and political staff will continue to retain sent e-mails, and a new policy and specific training will be developed.
It’s a good start, but one wonders why this flaw in the system wasn’t discovered and fixed before.
British Columbians expect respect and accountability from its government.
Hopefully, this is a lesson learned.
