Solicitor General official orders investigation of safe supply whistleblower
Opposition critic questioned about source of politically damaging leak
Hi all,
Hot off the Northern Beat press is this important exclusive by Rob Shaw…
Let us know what you think.
–Fran
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
RCMP investigate whistleblower, question public safety critic after leaked document refutes govt denial of safe supply trafficking
By Rob Shaw
"Do I think it's appropriate for them to try to hunt this person down? No, I don't think it is.”
–Elenore Sturko
A top official in Solicitor General Garry Begg’s office has ordered an RCMP investigation into how Opposition Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko obtained leaked internal government documents, the disclosure of which embarrassed the BC NDP government and forced it to roll back its safe supply prescription drug policies.
Director of police services, Glen Lewis, made the extraordinary move by invoking a little-used section of the Police Act, which allowed him to order the investigation on the grounds he suspected a police officer may have been involved in the leak and the release of information could impact ongoing investigations.
The decision resulted in Sturko, a sitting MLA and the Official Opposition critic for Lewis’s ministry, being interviewed by the RCMP’s anti-corruption unit this month.
Sturko slammed the investigation, saying the NDP government is using the RCMP to intimidate its critics, as well as conduct a witch-hunt for a whistleblower who should be protected for going public with information of such importance that it forced a policy change.
“It pissed me off to be honest," Sturko said in an interview.
"I was extremely upset to see the extent they would be examining where this document from a whistleblower came from, considering that they even introduced legislation to protect whistleblowers and talked about the importance of people being able to come forward when they see what they perceive as wrongdoing within government services and agencies.”
Solicitor General Begg said he had no knowledge that Lewis had directed a police investigation into how his Opposition public safety critic obtained information. As director of police services, Lewis enjoys certain independent powers under the Police Act.
“I did not direct that this investigation related to the unauthorized release of sensitive information be requested, and I wasn’t aware of the request at that time,” said Begg.
“However, our priority has to be on supporting the integrity of police investigations so the people illegally trafficking drugs can be held accountable.”
The RCMP "E" Division did not return a request for comment in time for publication.
Leaked document revealed system corruption, widespread drug trafficking
Sturko on Feb. 5 released a briefing document by Ministry of Health investigators that described widespread diversion of government-prescribed safe supply drugs into the hands of organized criminals — a claim the NDP government had long denied.
“A significant portion of the opioids being freely prescribed by doctors and pharmacists are not being consumed by their intended recipients,” read the report.
“Prescribed alternatives are trafficked provincially, nationally and internationally.”
The document also revealed an alleged kickback scheme involving more than 60 pharmacies that offered incentives to patients to fill their prescriptions and maximize their dispensing fees, worth thousands of dollars annually.
The presentation was written by a health ministry investigative unit and shared with police agencies, the government confirmed.
The information blew a hole in two years of denial by the NDP government that the safe supply drug policies it expanded were being misused and resulting in a new supply of taxpayer-funded street drugs trafficked by criminals.
Health Minister Josie Osborne initially expressed anger at the leak and called Sturko's actions "appalling," suggesting they could compromise police investigations. But within two weeks, Osborne announced she was ending take-home safe supply drugs in a bid to stop the diversion.
Sturko questions government investigating its critic
Sturko, a former RCMP officer, said before going public, she took steps to confirm that her release of the document would not compromise police investigations. It contained no names, or identifying details of any specific ongoing investigations.“I don't know who the source of the document really is,” she said.
“But do I think it's appropriate for them to try to hunt this person down? No, I don't think it is.”
She questioned whether the government is trying to put pressure on her to back off on the file.
“I would think that the ministers of both public safety and of health, and the premier himself, should be more concerned with the fact that they dangerously and negligently misrepresented powerful opioids as being safe, that they knew that, in their own words from the presentation, significant quantities of their drugs were being diverted, and that there was evidence that they were being trafficked provincially, nationally and internationally, would be the greater of those concerns,” she said.
In a statement, the Ministry of Public Safety said it doesn’t matter what kind of information was leaked, only that it was leaked.
“The information that was released without authorization was provided for law enforcement and included information regarding investigations into illegal drug diversion,” read the statement.
“While we appreciate the public interest in this topic, the priority is on supporting the integrity of those investigations so the people illegally trafficking these drugs can be held accountable.”
But the police probe collides into direct efforts by the NDP government to protect whistleblowers. The government in 2019 passed expansions to the Public Interest Disclosure Act, to protect public officials — from core ministry staff, to Crowns agencies, to health authorities and the education sector — from reprisal if they came forward with information of concern.
“This expansion will support transparency and accountability across government, giving staff throughout the public sector the confidence to come forward with concerns or information about wrongdoing without fear of being punished for speaking out,” then attorney general David Eby said at the time.
Sturko said the whistleblower in her case, whose information directly led to public policy changes, should be thanked, not persecuted.