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VICTORIA—The B.C. Liberals have broken the government’s own rules for open tendering by direct-awarding a federally-funded anti-tobacco contract worth $150,000 to TBWA, the B.C. Liberal Party’s campaign advertising firm in the run up to the provincial election.

Funded by Health Canada, the contract was part of a province-wide advertising campaign valued at over $800,000.

“Internal government documents clearly show that the B.C. Liberals broke the rules, canceled a large tender, and redirected an advertising contract to their political friends at TBWA, potentially jeopardizing a federally-funded health program,” said Bruce Ralston, Opposition critic for Finance.

TBWA produced the B.C. Liberal Party’s advertising campaign for both the 2001 and 2005 elections, as well as the government-funded, pre-election ‘Bringing out the Best’ campaign. President Andrea Southcott is a close friend of Gordon Campbell and was a key member of the B.C. Liberal Party campaign committee, which directed the B.C. Liberal’s election strategy in 2005.  TBWA has been awarded over $3.6 million in government contracts since 2001.

Internal documents obtained by the Opposition show that, following a telephone call from TBWA, an open tender contract posted to B.C. Bid was cancelled and instead direct-awarded to the Liberal ad agency. The direct-award was authorized by senior officials in the Public Affairs Bureau, despite non-partisan advice that any contract valued over $100,000 must be tendered through an open process.

“This is a clear-cut case of political interference, where the Premier’s Office -- by way of the Public Affairs Bureau -- broke the rules to benefit a friend and insider,” said Ralston. “TBWA phoned PAB and complained when ministry officials followed the rules, and the B.C. Liberals caved.”

“This advertising campaign should have been about helping young people quit smoking,” said Adrian Dix, Opposition critic for Health. “But Gordon Campbell decided to make it about rewarding his closest friends.”

The NDP is calling on the Premier to investigate the direct-award. “British Columbians deserve a full accounting of how and why this happened,” said Ralston. “The time for secrecy is over. The public deserves answers.”

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VICTORIA—NDP Finance critic Bruce Ralston is asking B.C.’s Merit Commissioner to investigate a government contract awarded to a B.C. Liberal friend and insider.

“This is about whether public agencies will be stacked with B.C. Liberal friends and insiders, or whether they will serve the public interest with appointments based on merit instead of political connections,” said Ralston, the NDP MLA for Surrey-Whalley.

The Vancouver-based firm Ray & Berndtson/Tanton Mitchell was awarded a two-year, renewable contract for executive recruitment services for the Board Resourcing Development Office (BRDO) effective August 1, 2006. The BRDO makes non-partisan, merit-based appointments to BC government agencies across the province, including the Agricultural Land Commission.

“The principles of Ray & Berndtson are B.C. Liberal friends and insiders, joined at the political hip with Gordon Campbell,” said Ralston. “They have made big financial contributions to the B.C. Liberal party, they have entered into private contracts with the B.C. Liberal Party, and they have been political supporters of the Premier throughout his career.”

Ralston added that the firm’s political connections make it almost impossible for the firm to meet the mandate of non-partisanship of the BRDO. “This is one of the firms that had a private contract with the B.C. Liberal Party to search for new deputies back in 2001. The appointments that followed from that search saw Andrew Wilkinson, former B.C. Liberal Party President – yet another B.C. Liberal friend and insider – promoted to the post of Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations. Can we really trust this firm to make non-partisan recommendations for appointments to hundreds of boards and agencies?”

In a letter to Merit Commissioner Joy Illington, Ralston requested a two-pronged investigation of the contract: a review of the terms of the competition in which the contract was awarded to Ray & Berndtson, and an investigation as to whether the contract jeopardizes the merit-based appointment process maintained by the BDRO.

VICTORIA—The B.C. Liberal government needs to tell British Columbians where they stand on the future of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), given comments made against it by B.C. Liberal MLA and agriculture committee member Al Horning.

In comments made yesterday to a local radio station, Horning, the Liberal MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country, said that he has “always been against the ALR.” He went on to refer to the ALR as an “agricultural land freeze” that stands in the way of the province’s economic growth.

“It’s very disturbing to hear these comments from a key member of the government’s own committee on agriculture, whose mandate is to plan for the future of the industry in B.C.,” said Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley. “I am looking for Agriculture Minister Pat Bell to provide assurances to British Columbians that Mr. Horning does not speak for the government on this issue.”

Ralston added that the integrity of the ALR is an open question under the B.C. Liberals. “Minister Bell was hoping that the recent controversy surrounding the ALR would disappear after a decision had been made on the fate of Barnston Island. He wasn’t expecting to be completely blindsided by his own colleague on this issue.

“British Columbians want government to protect our quality farmland and provide food security for future generations. It is time for the B.C. Liberal government to tell British Columbians where they stand on the future of the ALR, and if they will follow through on that commitment,” Ralston said.

SURREY—Carole James and the New Democrats are standing up for farmland in B.C., and are calling for the protection of the Agricultural Land Reserve in the interests of all British Columbians.

Speaking at an NDP news conference on Barnston Island, James said there is growing public concern about the integrity of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) under the B.C. Liberal government.

"Under the B.C. Liberals, more agricultural land has been removed from the ALR for private development and private interests than ever before," said James. "And voters are beginning to wonder if the public interest is being served by those decisions."

"We are here today, on Barnston Island, to tell British Columbians that New Democrats will stand up for the public interest and the interests of future generations and protect the quality farmland of the ALR."

Created in 1974, the Agricultural Land Reserve seeks to protect quality farmland from development encroachment. The ALR is managed by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), and regional panels oversee all requests for addition and exclusion of quality farmland from the reserve.

NDP Agriculture critic Bruce Ralston added that the location of the news conference – Surrey’s own Barnston Island – is no accident. A private developer has applied to remove over 85 percent of Barnston Island lands from the ALR for industrial use.

"Barnston Island is an agricultural jewel," said Ralston. "And there is growing public concern regarding the integrity of the process in the Barnston Island application, which is currently before the Commission."

"John Tomlinson, a known B.C. Liberal friend and insider, is the only member of the South Coast regional panel. And there is little information available as the composition, timeline, duties or responsibilities of this new special panel. This raises serious concerns regarding the openness, transparency and fairness of this process."

"The Opposition will be watching this process closely as it unfolds, and we will continue to press for an open, fair and transparent process for ALR decisions," said Ralston.

Following the press conference, James and Ralston toured a 35-acre family farm belonging to Barnston Island resident and farmer Doug Devitt.