91大黄鸭

Abbotsford South MLA Darryl Plecas is adamant that he never lied to his party.

鈥淪omehow there鈥檚 this message out there that I told a lie about something and that is so incredibly untrue,鈥� the new Speaker of the B.C. legislature told The News Wednesday morning. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 guilty of anything, it鈥檚 changing my mind.鈥�

Plecas by accepting an offer to sit in the non-partisan Speaker鈥檚 chair, prompting a furious reaction from Plecas鈥檚 own BC Liberals, which at the request of his own riding association. Speakers only vote in the case of a tie, which means Plecas鈥檚 decision will increase the NDP/Green partnership鈥檚 narrow margin in the legislature.

After the move, BC Liberals, including party president Sharon White and interim leader Rich Coleman, said that Plecas had repeatedly promised to not sit as Speaker. Coleman labelled the move a 鈥渂etrayal鈥� of the party. In June, Plecas had told The News 鈥� and improper to accept the Speaker鈥檚 position.

Plecas said Wednesday, though, that his thinking on the matter shifted after the Lieutenant Governor granted the Green and NDP party the opportunity to form government after Christy Clark鈥檚 throne speech had been defeated.

He said that following May鈥檚 election, 鈥淚 was advised, as were all members of caucus, that [an NDP/Green partnership] was not a legitimate government.鈥�

鈥淪ince then, it鈥檚 been made clear that in fact it was: the Lieutenant Governor said so.鈥�

Plecas said that change in circumstances led him to revisit the issue, and that he has been out of town and hasn鈥檛 attended a caucus meeting since the Lieutenant Governor鈥檚 decision. Party members were asked to submit papers removing their name from consideration for the Speaker鈥檚 seat. The deadline was Thursday, but Plecas never submitted his paper. He said he and Coleman spoke Thursday evening

鈥淭he discussion I had with him was 鈥榃ell you haven鈥檛 signed the form.鈥欌��

Plecas said there was still the opportunity for him to stand in the legislature and say he wouldn鈥檛 sit as Speaker. But that he made no promises.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say I wouldn鈥檛,鈥� he told The News. 鈥淰ery clearly it was not the case that I lied to somebody about doing it. I did not say to anyone 鈥業 am not going to do this.鈥� I had only said that earlier, long before [the NDP] were declared the government.鈥�

Plecas said he is hurt that some would think otherwise.

鈥淚 wish I could stand up and yell and scream and say 鈥楽ee how it is!鈥欌��

He said around 85 per cent of the feedback he has received since Friday has been positive.

鈥淭he people who know me and have known me for years 鈥� they have been over the top supportive.鈥�

But he said the remaining 15 per cent, though, 鈥渋s pretty horrible stuff,鈥� with people calling him a traitor and a liar.

鈥淚 had one person who said, 鈥楧on鈥檛 worry, after all of this you will know who your friends are.鈥欌��

He also said he worries that the idea that he lied will impact his new role as Speaker.

鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly important that the speaker be seen as an honourable person and right now, with all the kerfuffle, I don鈥檛 have the opportunity to show that. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 saddening. But I鈥檓 moving forward, I鈥檓 going to get past it.鈥�

Plecas also implied that some of the statements coming from his erstwhile colleagues may not be particularly heartfelt.

鈥淵ou always have to remember with party politics, simply because somebody expresses something outwardly, it doesn鈥檛 mean that 鈥� obviously I made friends when I was there. They鈥檙e not going to quit being my friend.鈥�

Asked about the fact that his constituents elected a BC Liberal but are now represented by an independent, Plecas said he didn鈥檛 choose to leave the BC Liberal party, and that all MLAs have the opportunity to stand for Speaker.

Plecas said he was disappointed that he was booted from the party, but that being kicked out may have been a 鈥渂lessing in disguise.鈥� While he said he respected the idea of party discipline, Plecas maintained that wasn鈥檛 in his nature to tow the line or match his belief that each party 鈥渉as something to offer,鈥�

鈥淎s a consequence, I was always in trouble,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n hindsight, it鈥檚 probably fair comment to say I was ill-suited as a Liberal.鈥�

鈥淎s much as I鈥檓 disappointed that I was removed from the party, I understand it.鈥�

Plecas also said the pay bump that comes with the Speaker鈥檚 office had no bearing on his decision. As speaker, Plecas will make $150,000 a salary closer to that of a cabinet minister than a backbench MLA, whose pay starts at $105,881.

鈥淚t bothers me when I hear [money is a motivating factor] because people forget what I was doing before entering politics.鈥�

He said if money was his chief concern, he wouldn鈥檛 have ran for office in the first place, and that as an MLA he has been making half of his previous salary as a tenured professor and part-time prison judge.

As the dust settles, and enforcing the rules of the legislature. And already he has had to clamp down on the political theatrics, telling BC Liberal Abbotsford West MLA Mike de Jong that he shouldn鈥檛 be using a prop in the legislature.

He said his instinctual non-partisanship, which may have brought him trouble as an MLA, along with his time as a prison judge, will inform and aid his time as speaker.

鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 me saying to myself, I鈥檓 serving for another four years and how can I do that in the most effective way and in a manner that best fits to my experience and approach to things,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I say, gee this is a good job for me, it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 a direct hit on impartiality, it鈥檚 a direct hit on being non-partisan. I can make a contribution by helping members and making sure the way we do dialogue is productive.鈥�

While questions have been raised about his ability to command the needed authority in the legislature with one side apparently harbouring some ill will, Plecas said he can do the job.

鈥淧eople will still respect the office and it鈥檚 my job to demonstrate I can be impartial, that I won鈥檛 be unfair to anyone.鈥�

Constituency work, he said, will continue, although the Speaker鈥檚 role means it will be different than for other MLAs. The Speaker鈥檚 office will have a staff member with the ability to raise issues of concern with Ministers, but Plecas won鈥檛 be doing that himself.

The Speaker鈥檚 office has also been contacting reporters, telling them that Plecas won鈥檛 be engaging with the media during his time in the chair. That has been standard practice, albeit one applied flexibly, with Speakers addressing issues of mostly personal, rather than political, concern.

Previous Liberal Speaker Linda Reid about concerns about her spending, while her predecessor, Bill Barisoff, wrote weekly columns for his local paper and about the BC Legislature building, a matter that falls under the Speaker鈥檚 personal jurisdiction.

Plecas said he will also have the opportunity to raise issues of personal concern to him, and that no longer being connected to a party might assist in that.

鈥淏eing an independent makes it all so much easier,鈥� he said.

Throughout the half-hour interview, though, Plecas repeatedly returned to the notion that he lied to those in the party. And he concluded on that topic.

鈥淚 challenge anyone to ever say an instance ever in my entire life where I鈥檝e lied about something. That鈥檚 just not in my DNA to do that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just wish people didn鈥檛 think I did that. I mean, criticize me, it鈥檚 fair criticism for changing my mind. But not that I somehow was lacking in integrity and doing things in an underhanded way.鈥�