The recently fired LNG advocate for BC -- former Liberal leader Gordon Wilson -- has seen a lawyer about launching a defamation lawsuit against Premier John Horgan and Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston since they haven't offered personal apologies to him.
The Premier said there were no briefings, reports, or memoranda detailing the work Wilson did over 3 1/2 years as LNG advocate and said the post was a waste of taxpayer money.
Ralston said a review concluded he did little "other than to cash his cheques". Since then it's come to light the NDP has actually obtained a report back in 2015 through freedom-of-information -- a document now available to the public on a website.
" For the life of me I really do not know why Mr. Horgan and Mr. Ralston chose to enter this level of defamation. It really is, I don't know, unprofessional."
While Ralston says he was acting on information provided to him, he took responsibility and has apologized through the media. The Premier has also backed off his comment. But Wilson told CFAX he hasn't heard from Ralston or Horgan personally and scheduled an appointment to meet with a lawyer. Wilson says his lawyer will want to see what any NDP review entailed:
" Mr. Ralston has also said, and the premier has also said, that they did a review of the program. My lawyer is going to want a copy of that review. He's going to want to know what the scope of that review was in terms of the timeframe that was under review."
Wilson says a review of his work should have included speaking with him, and the various ministries involved with LNG, such as Jobs and Aboriginal Relations, and as far as he knows that didn't happen.