Christy Clark names former lobbyist chief of staff
B.C. premier says conflicts of interest not a concern
CBC News
Posted: Jan 12, 2012 5:18 PM PT
Last Updated: Jan 12, 2012 9:22 PM PT
There’s been a major shakeup in the B.C. premier's office, with the appointment of Ken Boessenkool as Christy Clark’s new chief of staff.
Boessenkool -- a former lobbyist and advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- replaces Clark’s first chief of staff, Mike McDonald, who now becomes the premier’s principal secretary.
Boessenkool was a policy adviser and strategist for Harper and, in a separate job, lobbied for a long list of clients including Suncor Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Bell Canada, WestJet and Taser International.
Boessenkool also did lobbying work for Enbridge, the proponent of the Northern Gateway Pipeline project now under review at hearings in northern B.C.
NDP critical of appointment
Clark said no one should worry about potential conflicts of interest involving her new top aide.
“People, when they're in the private sector, leave those things behind when they come to government,” Clark told the CBC’s Jeff Davies Thursday. “The fact is advisers advise, premiers decide. And I think people know where I stand on lots of those issues.”
But NDP house leader John Horgan says Boessenkool's appointment will be disconcerting to anyone concerned about the Enbridge pipeline.
Horgan said it appears the premier is trying to shore up her support on the political right.
With files from the CBC's Jeff DaviesShare Tools
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