Premier David Eby is on the correct side of a controversy involving a government attempt to get the RCMP to probe an embarrassing leak.
But it took a complicated dance to get there, one that he executed pretty adroitly. He repeatedly stressed that he has no business intervening, while he was doing just that, for justified reasons.
His initial stance was that he had nothing to do with starting a police probe into how Opposition critic Elenore Sturko got a revealing document, and no say in any investigations.
But he wound up defending Sturko, criticizing the probe and questioning the priorities of the director of police services in his government.
It’s the right and proper position. Asking the RCMP to start probing how an opposition MLA got information is a serious overreach, and a major lapse in judgment. The investigation into the leak is a waste of time. It created a major political issue for a while, but no cases were compromised and no lives are at stake.
Telling the RCMP to investigate it puts a big discount on the NDP’s commitment to open government, since they introduced a law to protect whistleblowers and encourage public exposure of internal government problems.
The investigation, revealed by Rob Shaw in the Northern Beat news site, stemmed from Sturko’s release of a health ministry briefing note in February. It described widespread diversion of government-issued safe supply drugs by criminals.
The government had been denying that problem during two years of mounting evidence that the practice was rampant. The leaked document said a significant portion of prescribed opioids were being flipped to criminal dealers, “provincially, nationally and internationally.”
It also revealed an alleged kickback scheme at dozens of pharmacies, where patients got incentives to fill prescriptions to maximize their dispensing fee.
Health Minister Josie Osborne initially said Sturko’s release of the document was “appalling.” But the drug handouts were quickly curtailed, to stop diversion.
Eby backed Sturko whole-heartedly on Wednesday.
“I was in Opposition. If I had ever been so fortunate as to receive documents like that about the government of the day, I would have done exactly what she did. That was solid opposition work.”
The police services director’s request was independent, and taken at his own initiative, he said. And if the RCMP is following up, it’s their own call, he said.
Eby said he consistently supports whistleblowers, with the caveat that criminal investigations aren’t compromised.
A number are underway into the suspect pharmacies and Eby said he hopes they are the focus of the police.
“I have asked and been told that we are unable as government to direct the government in relation to this investigation…”
But just the fact that he asked sends a clear message. And his extended public comments to reporters and to the legislature make his message clear: Forget the leak, concentrate on the criminal diversion.
He later told the legislature that Sturko “shouldn’t get a phone call from police for doing her job.”
Eby said he understands the thinking of the director of police services, Glen Lewis.
“But I’ve got to say — just my own opinion about this thing — I really hope that there is more effort going into investigating these pharmacies rather than anything related to [Sturko].”
The director has statutory powers to act independently and Eby said: “We are not able to direct the police to investigate or not investigate.”
Conservative Party of B.C. critic Bruce Banman demanded Lewis be fired for starting a “witch-hunt.”
There was one telling line in Eby’s response: “I haven’t talked to the director yet…” (Underline “yet.”)
He also said the head of the public service will contact him and “understand the intention and what the plan was and so on.”
So after repeatedly stressing the director of police services independence, and the premier’s inability to intervene, Eby made it abundantly clear that he completely disagrees with the call, and the director will be answering for it, either to the head of the public service or even Eby himself.
