B.C. safety minister suspended from driving for 'excessive speeding'

NDP slams another Liberal for past comments on homosexuality

Last Updated: Friday, April 24, 2009 | 5:09 PM PT

CBC News

John van Dongen says he accepted the temporary driving prohibition and will not appeal the decision. (CBC)

B.C. Solicitor General John van Dongen, the province's top law enforcement official, has been suspended from driving for four months after receiving tickets for what he said was "excessive speeding."

Van Dongen, who is also the minister of public safety and is running for re-election as a Liberal in Abbotsford South, issued a written statement Friday, saying he "accepted the temporary prohibition."

In an interview with CBC Radio on Friday afternoon, van Dongen said the prohibition was triggered by two cases of "excessive speeding" in the last 18 months on a Saanich highway in Victoria and on Highway 99.

"I'm not proud of my driving record that triggered this prohibition. I take responsibility for it," van Dongen said.

His vehicle was going at least 41 km/h in excess of the speed limit, he said., but he didn't say how many traffic tickets he has received in total.

'It's not like he hasn't paid his tickets. He's done that here.' —B.C. Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell

Van Dongen said he received a letter last Thursday from the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles — which is part of his cabinet portfolio — giving notice of "a driving prohibition due to tickets I have received for speeding."

"I will not be appealing the decision and have mailed my driver's licence to the OSMV," van Dongen said in the statement. "I fully understand and accept responsibility for my driving behaviour and believe it is my duty to fully and completely comply with the decision."

Van Dongen has asked the government to have his responsibility for the OSMV and the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia reassigned.

"While I am not currently involved in any active decisions as minister with respect to these agencies, I feel it is important that both my actions and this latest decision do not have any detrimental impact on public confidence in either ICBC or OSMV.

"I fully recognize the importance of public safety and compliance with the law on our roads. The law applies equally to me as it does to everyone else and I strongly support that," van Dongen said.

Van Dongen should resign: NDP

B.C. Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell said Friday lots of people have traffic tickets, and van Dongen came clean to the public about his driving record.

"It's probably embarrassing to John.… He went through all the process. In consideration, he let us know last night about it and he felt it was important for us to take action," Campbell said.

"It's not like he hasn't paid his tickets. He's done that. It's not like he hasn't been upfront with it.… He's come forward and said, 'Look, I want to be open about it'"

Still, NDP Leader Carole James is calling on van Dongen to resign as solicitor general.

"John van Dongen, in his role as the top cop for British Columbia, has a unique position," James said Friday.

Marc Dalton says Friday the email in question was never intended to be offensive or hurtful to anybody. (B.C. Liberals)

"I think it's important that he resign, that he step back. I think Gordon Campbell needs to remove him from that position," she said.

Liberal criticized gay 'lifestyle choices'

James is also calling for another Liberal candidate to withdraw from the May 12 election campaign over his comments on homosexuality in 1996.

The NDP made public on Friday an email written by Marc Dalton, who's running as a Liberal in Maple Ridge-Mission.

"I am not against homosexuals as people, but I do not support their lifestyle choices," Dalton wrote in the email.

"I believe homosexuality is a moral issue… There are other moral issues that large segments of our society do not see eye to eye: gambling, abortion, adultery, pornography. I believe that homosexuality fits in this category."

James said Dalton's comments are "clearly disturbing."

"Gordon Campbell has some questions to answer for," she said. "The first one is, was he aware of the comments? Did he know they were there and, if so, did he think they were acceptable for a candidate? Because I certainly don't.

'The email in question was never intended to be offensive or hurtful to anybody.' —Marc Dalton

"If he wasn't aware of the questions, then what kind of process, what kind of vetting process does he have in place and what's he going to do about that?"

Campbell said the Liberals have a detailed vetting process for candidates.

"We do our best in terms of the vetting process, but we don't often go back more than 10 years in terms of what communication people may or may not have had," he said.

Dalton issued a written statement Friday afternoon in response to his past comments.

"I want to apologize for the email from 12 years ago that has been raised by the NDP. If I have caused offence, I apologize unequivocally," he said.

"The email in question was never intended to be offensive or hurtful to anybody. However, I can understand how it could be easily misconstrued. That is fully my fault and I take responsibility."

Dalton said he will remain in his race in the May election.

In 2008, Dalton sought a federal Conservative nomination in Burnaby-New Westminster, but after a vetting process the party vetoed his nomination. No explanation was given.