B.C. Privacy Watchdog to Evaluate Liberal Party Ethnic Vote Scandal

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The information and privacy watchdog of B.C., Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, has declared to determine whether a Liberal government plan to persuade the ethnic voters violated any laws. Denham mentioned that she has initiated a preliminary inquiry of the multicultural outreach plan, in sight of a recent report on the scandal and other details about the plan released last week.

Denham mentioned in an official statement on Monday, that “these documents raise important questions about whether personal email accounts were being used in an attempt to evade access to information laws, and whether personal information was inappropriately shared.” Denham assured that her staff will evaluate all the records and question all suspected officials involved in order to determine whether a formal investigation is needed or not. Denham’s office also published an elaborative set of guidelines to implement B.C.’s freedom of information law to personal email accounts, and highlighted the risks involved in using personal accounts for government business. Denham alleged that “a duty to document is not only in the public interest; it promotes openness and transparency, good governance, and provides documentation of government’s legacy for future generations.”

This scandal was triggered last week when a report published by Clark’s Deputy Minister, John Dyble, alleged that government resources were being misused on the ethnic plan, especially in the case, where Liberal government communications official, Brian Bonney, had been working for both the government caucus and the Liberal party while being solely paid as a government employee only.