Police investigation of candidate a private issue: B.C. NDP Leader

Last Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 3:02 PM PT

CBC News

Carole James was campaigning on Vancouver Island on Wednesday. (CBC)

B.C. NDP Leader Carole James says she did nothing wrong by failing to reveal that a Vancouver Island candidate was investigated by the police last year.

On Wednesday the B.C. Liberals pounced on James for failing to reveal NDP candidate for Nanaimo-North Cowichan Doug Routley was investigated by the RCMP and a special prosecutor over allegations made during divorce proceedings that included a child.

No charges were laid and the matter did not go to court.

But the B.C. Liberals questioned why it took so long for James to make the police investigation public, after she was quick to criticize Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell when a cabinet member's speeding tickets landed the party in hot water just last week.

Double standard at play, say B.C. Liberals

"There does seem to be a real double standard at play, because in the past when others have been the subject of allegations or investigations, Ms. James has been the first person to stand up and demand that the public needed to know immediately," B.C. Liberal candidate Mike de Jong was quoted as saying in The Province newspaper on Thursday.

On Friday, Solicitor General Jon Van Dongen revealed he had lost his driver's licence for several excessive speeding charges. On Monday he resigned from cabinet, but not from the election race, but James continued to question Campbell's judgment for not demanding van Dongen resign sooner.

James dismissed the accusation of a double standard as she prepared to board a plane in Victoria late Wednesday night after a whistle-stop tour of Vancouver Island this week in lead-up to the May 12 provincial election.

"Doug was advised by a special prosecutor, by his lawyer, that he shouldn't inform people about the special prosecutor to protect the privacy of that young child," said James.

"I think the public expects that when it's a personal issue, not related to their duties … that common sense prevails," she said.

Situations not the same: James

James said she knew about the police investigation for some time, but did regret that she only found out about the special prosecutor late last week. She said Routley should have informed her sooner, but his situation was significantly different from van Dongen's.

"In this case, it was a personal case.… There is a clear distinction and the Liberals know that … so a little bit of politics being played by the other side," said James.

"In the case of John van Dongen, obviously he admitted himself he broke the law and he was the top cop," she said. "He broke the law and he had to step back … and he did that," she said.

It is normal for a special prosecutor to be appointed for police investigations of public or elected officials in B.C. to ensure there is no political interference.

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B.C. solicitor general resigns over speeding tickets

Overall Results

Overall Election Results
Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share (%)
Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT
LIB	49	0	49	46.02
NDP	36	0	36	42.06
GRN	0	0	0	8.10
CON	0	0	0	2.11
OTH	0	0	0	1.72

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All results are unofficial until final ballot counts are verified by Elections B.C.

STV referendum overall results

Question: Which electoral system should British Columbia use to elect members to the provinical Legislative Assembly?

The existing system (First-Past-the-Post)
The single transferable vote electorial system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

Electoral District Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

51 RIDINGS

Ridings 7/85

Ridings 78/85

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

85/85 ridings reporting

Total Popular Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

MAJORITY 60%

560,430 votes | 38.82%

883,259 votes | 61.18%

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

What it needs to win:

For the referendum to be binding, the approval level must be:

more than 50% of the votes in at least 51 of the province's 85 electoral districts, AND
at least 60% of the total popular vote, province-wide.

If the two thresholds are met, government is required to introduce legislation to implement BC-STV in sufficient time for it to be in place for the May 2013 General Election.

B.C. Votes Headlines

Huntington defeats Oppal in B.C. election recount: Independent candidate Vicki Huntington has defeated high profile B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Wally Oppal in the riding of Delta South in one of two provincial election recounts concluded on Tuesday.
Oppal falls behind in see-saw Delta South recount: B.C. Liberal Wally Oppal fell behind in Monday's initial recount of ballots cast in Delta South in the May 12 provincial election. Absentee votes will still need to be counted Tuesday before the final result will be announced Wednesday.
Record low voter turnout in B.C. election: Voter turnout in B.C.'s provincial election hit a record low on Tuesday, with only 50 per cent of eligible voters bothering to vote, a full eight percentage points less than the 58 per cent that voted in 2005.
Oppal awaits results of recount for Delta South seat: There will be an automatic recount in the Delta South riding after preliminary election results show star Liberal candidate Wally Oppal beat independent Vicki Huntington by a mere two votes.
Re-elected Campbell to focus on strengthening B.C.'s economy: Gordon Campbell says reviving the province's economy is his main task as he heads into a historic third straight term as the province's premier, but other issues — such as health care and the environment — are also on the agenda.

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