Christy Clark's office involved in controversial firing of health researchers, claims NDP

The NDP claims B.C. government correspondence shows Premier Christy Clark's office was directly involved in the controversial firing of health ministry researchers in 2012 over a data breach.

Seven employees were fired, in what the government has since admitted was a "regrettable mistake."  It has already settled out of court with most of them. 

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One of the researchers, UVic co-op student Harold Roderick MacIsaac, was found to have committed suicide.

In a news release Thursday, NDP leader John Horgan says the correspondence, between the former deputy minister of health and B.C. government officials, shows Clark's deputy minister "was involved in the decision to fire the researchers as well as the events surrounding how they were announced."

"The premier told the house that she was certain in her own heart that the fired individuals weren't dealt with fairly, yet it's clear her words were meaningless given the involvement of her own office in these unjust firings," said Horgan.

Horgan and the NDP are claiming the Public Service Agency's review of the firings has been orchestrated with "limited terms of reference to bury the involvement of the premier's office."

The NDP is calling for a new and independent review of the firings.

The health ministry workers were fired following allegations that employees had inappropriately accessed sensitive medical records.

However, many of the employees said they were never advised of any substantive allegations of wrongdoing and never given an opportunity to respond to the findings that led to the loss of their jobs.

On mobile? Click here to read government correspondence on PSA review