VANCOUVER 鈥� British Columbia Premier Christy Clark says she鈥檚 not going anywhere.
As she emerged from a cabinet meeting in Vancouver Sunday night, Clark told reporters her members are behind her and the proof of that will be in Tuesday鈥檚 vote on the provincial budget.
鈥淭his group is absolutely united and we have a lot of work to do on behalf of the people of British Columbia鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get on to that work.鈥�
The controversy blew up when the NDP released a leaked memo that suggested the Liberals should use government resources to court the ethnic vote in this May鈥檚 election.
Clark apologized on Thursday, her deputy chief of staff resigned Friday and, on Sunday, a group of about 80 South Asian Liberal party members sent out a news release demanding her resignation.
Several members of her cabinet stood firmly behind the premier, including Deputy Premier Rich Coleman, who said there鈥檚 absolute unity within cabinet.
Citizens鈥� Services Minister Ben Stewart left the meeting saying cabinet members 鈥渟hared some inner feelings,鈥� and there was disappointment that so many government people were involved.
Ministers leaving the meeting said they are confident an investigation into how the controversial memo came to be written will determine who was at fault.
鈥淭oday we鈥檙e here to roll up our sleeves, support our premier and to make sure that we move forward with an agenda that we have that we believe will be advantageous to British Columbians,鈥� Justice Minister Shirley Bond said.
A spokesman in Clark鈥檚 office said Sunday the gathering was a 鈥渃hance to plan for the week ahead.鈥�
But party insiders told the Vancouver Sun the meeting was called on short notice to deal with internal unrest over how Clark has reacted to the scandal that erupted Wednesday. That鈥檚 when the NDP leaked the Liberal memo that set out a strategy for the Liberals to use government resources to help the party woo ethnic voters in the coming election. Use of taxpayer funds for political purposes is forbidden.
Transportation Minister Mary Polak told reporters outside sa国际传媒 Place the meeting was being framed as an emergency only by the media.
She said the cabinet supports the premier.
鈥淲ith the action that she鈥檚 taken, I can鈥檛 see what else she could do to correct the situation,鈥� said Polak, in a reference to the resignation of Clark deputy chief of staff, Kim Haakstad.
Environment Minister Terry Lake called Clark 鈥渢he hardest-working person I know.鈥�
鈥淣o one is perfect, no government is perfect, we certainly don鈥檛 claim to be perfect,鈥� he said.
The comments came shortly after a group of 89 mostly Indo-Canadian members of the sa国际传媒 Liberals called for Clark鈥檚 resignation in a news release Sunday, saying she had made 鈥渢he ethnic vote a joke in sa国际传媒鈥�
At issue for the group was Clark鈥檚 decision to spend taxpayer dollars on the Times of India Film Awards, 鈥渨hich has no relevance in sa国际传媒 economy, culture or adaptation.鈥�
Vikram Bajwa, a former Surrey mayoral candidate and spokesman for the group, said the party members 鈥渟trongly feel鈥� Clark鈥檚 decision to bid for the Times of India awards was an extension the Liberals鈥� strategy to woo ethnic voters in advance of the May election.
The awards, which recognize popular Bollywood films, will cost sa国际传媒 taxpayers about $11 million.
They are to be held in Vancouver April 4-6. Bajwa said contacts in India have told him Clark wanted to bid for the Times of India event rather than the competing International Indian Film Awards 鈥� a more established event equivalent to the Academy Awards 鈥� because the latter would be held in June, after the provincial election.
鈥淲e felt as Liberal members that this is going to [have a] backlash on our Indo-Canadian community during the run-up to and after the election.鈥�
Bajwa said there are about 10 seats in Surrey and Richmond that will be decided by ethnic voters and Indo-Canadian Liberal candidates feel they could lose over the issue.
The resignation of Haakstad is not enough, Bajwa said. 鈥淲e have to be very blunt that the buck doesn鈥檛 stop with Kim [Haakstad]. Premier Christy Clark ... is the only elected official, she鈥檚 the premier who made the deal in Bombay for the Times of India Awards. She should be coming forward and show some leadership qualities and resign,鈥� he said.
Failure on Clark鈥檚 part to do so would be 鈥渉anding the sa国际传媒 government to the NDP on a silver platter,鈥� he said.
Bajwa added hundreds of Liberal party members in Surrey met at Sikh temples around the city Sunday to discuss the scandal, which has precipitated four high-profile departures from Surrey riding associations.
Clark will face her entire caucus Monday in what is expected to be a showdown between supporters and MLA鈥檚 upset with her handling of the situation.
Liberal caucus chairman Gordie Hogg spoke about the meeting only in general terms.
鈥淧eople will be able to get together to express concerns and opinions and get a better grasp of what鈥檚 going on, and to get all the information we can,鈥� he said. He would not speculate about what topics would be discussed or the likelihood of further calls for Clark鈥檚 resignation from MLA ranks.
A review looking into the circumstances around government鈥檚 bid for the Times of India Film Awards is underway, he added.
鈥淎fter that we will have a chance to work from a position of understanding rather than assumption.鈥�
But there are indications Clark could face a harsh crowd Monday. At least one Liberal MLA, Dave Hayer, an Indo-Canadian, condemned the ethnic voter plan Friday and sources say many in both Clark鈥檚 cabinet and caucus feel the premier should be taking more responsibility, and should be showing more contrition over the issue.
New Democratic Party house leader John Horgan said Clark鈥檚 government is 鈥渃learly in crisis.鈥�
References to 鈥渜uick wins鈥� and blockbuster events outlined in the Liberal memo suggest the Times of India Awards are in fact a part of the party鈥檚 strategy to win over South Asian voters, he added.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been working on this multicultural voting plan for over a year and it鈥檚 manifested itself in the most grotesque way, in the $11-million purchase of an awards show just in time for the election campaign.鈥�
Horgan said the NDP would be asking the Liberals to explain 鈥渨hy it is they chose to create an awards show and stage it in the days before the election begins,鈥� in the legislature Monday.
But one prominent political veteran and Chinese community leader said he thinks Clark and the Liberals can bounce back, if they admit fault.
鈥淚t really depends on how the party handles it,鈥� Tung Chan, past-president of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. immigrant services society and Vancouver鈥檚 Non-Partisan Association, said Sunday. If the party pulls together and issues an apology, the Liberals may successfully quell the brewing unrest, he said.
There is nothing wrong with the party鈥檚 strategy to appeal to ethnic voters as long as they don鈥檛 use government funds, Chan added, noting he has made many calls for the provincial government to pay more attention to 鈥渃ommunities of interest鈥� over the course of his career. The New Democratic Party and the sa国际传媒 Conservatives likely have similar plans to appeal to ethnic voters, he added.
鈥淭he way I look at it, no political party worth its salt would not have segmentation of campaign strategies 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 matter whether it鈥檚 communities based on geography or demographics or based on gender or sexual orientation. Every party has some sort of strategy to outreach.鈥�
Of concern is that the Liberals appear to have planned to use government funds and civil servants to implement the initiative. Chan added there has been no evidence to suggest that plan had been put into action.
鈥淗aving run campaigns and having seen other people run campaigns, that sort of line is always blurred. People need to keep an eye out [for it],鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are right to be indignant about it.鈥�
鈥� With files by the Vancouver Sun
