. A disappointed MLA says Campbell
__ had to stay for the good of the province

OGER HARRIS says premier
Gordon Campbell was tight
not to resign after his arrest

_ for drunk driving in Hawaii.
However Skeena’s MLA Says
‘the jury is still out on whether Camp-
bell can survive and rebuild his career
for the long term.
“At the moment we need stability
within government,” Harris said, ex-
plaining why he did not press the pre-
mier to resign last week. “One of the
failings in the past has been the in-
. Stability of our leadership in this
province,”

But he said only time will tel! whe-
ther the premier can continue without
the episode impairing his govern-
ment’s performance and his party’s
chances in the

next election.

“1 think the
people of the
province and
the people of
the B.C. Lib-
eral party will
make those de-
cisions,” Harris \
said,

He said sur-

viving the pol- §
tical damage
of Campbeil’s
arrest and jail-
ing will depend on the government's
ability to produce the results the pre-
mier said he was going to deliver.

“That was always going to be the
test anyway,” he added.

Campbell says he drank three mar-
tinis and several glasses of wine over
several hours at a dinner party at a re-
tired broadcaster’s home on Maui.

He left in a rented sport-utility ve-
hicle and embarked on the 20-kilo-
metre drive to his hotel.

A Maui police officer who spotted

Roger Harris

&
Stories by Jeff Nagel

the vehicle speeding and weaving
pulled over the premier.around 2 a.m.

Campbell .blew 0.149.—- well over
the legal. blood-alcohol limit of.0.08 in
both Hawaii and B.C. — and spent the

~night in jail. The breathlyzer readings
- released Wednesday — intensified
speculation about how much alcohol
he consumed.

The premier has said he will not
contest the charge against him, which
could lead to a fine or community ser-
vice in Hawaii and a suspension of his
driving privileges in both jurisdictions.

Harris was blunt in expressing his

dismay.

“I was very disappointed and sur-
prised and shocked, like anybody
else,” he said. “I was disappointed,
very disappointed, with his actions.”

“It’s unacceptable behaviour, it’s a
lousy example, it’s disappointing — it’s
all those things that have been said
already,” he said. “He is still the best
qualified person to do the job he’s
doing.”

Harris said feedback from local
constituents has been split, with some-
what more people saying Campbell
should resign than stay.

“t's unacceptable beha-
viour, it’s a lousy example,
it’s disappointing ~ it’s all
those things that have
been said already. He is
still the best qualified per-
son to do the job he's
doing.”

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - A5

MAUI POLICE mugshots of Premier Gordon Campbell taken aarly Friday,
Jan. 10, 2003 after his arrest for drunk driving. The premier’s breathalyzer
test showed a 0.149 blood-alcohol concentration.

It’s also divided in the sense that
Harris says he’s talked to political op-
ponents who say the premier should
stay and Liberal supporters who say he
should go.

“Some people say there are a lot of

other reasons why he should lose his
job, but this is not that.”

“T’ve run into many people that say
‘For the grace of God it could have
been me’ — and that’s me included,”
Harris said.

He said there hasn’t been a tremen-
dous amount of feedback, however,
adding people who visit him want to
deal with their issues, not talk about
the premier.

“People are more concerned that

this will be a distraction that will get
the government off track,” he said.
Harris said Campbell at least did
not shirk responsibility. “He has taken
heat in a very open way and has not
tried to hide it or mask it in any way
that I can see.” ,
* Campbell in his emotional apology
speech of Jan. 12 repeatedly empha-
sized that the drunk driving incident
happened ‘on his own personal time,
while he was on vacation, and was not

premier screw up.

connected to his public duties.

Harris says sees little separation
between public and private life in po-
litics.

“Once you get in public office you
don’t have very much private time,”
he said. “Is that a good thing? Probab-
ly not. Is it reality? Probably.”

“You have to expect anything you
do in your private life will impact on
your public one.”

Harris did say sociely must be care-
ful about how high it sets standards for
its leaders.

Setting them too high could result
in few people running for public office.

Harris said the revelation that the
premier was impaired at nearly double
the legal limit for alcohol did not alter
the situation.

“You're over 0.08, you’re over 0.08.
You’re impaired. it becomes irrele-
vant.” |

Skeena’s MLA says he doesn’t
think the premier has lost the moral
authority to govern — and he’s unsure
precisely what people who use that
phrase mean.

As for whether the premier’s trou-
bles will damage. his own re-election
chances, Harris was unsure.

“I don’t kid myself that this is about
politics and that people actively in-
volved in politics will use this for
whatever reason,” he said.

He said he hopes to be judged on
two standards — whether he succeeded
in helping get the northwest economy
going again, and how well he repre-
sented constituents’ interests in Vic-
toria, .

“That's if I plan on running again,”
Harris added, saying he’s undecided
on that question.

“I took this job to get a job done.”

Some pundits have said the premier
and the government will have to de-
Monstrate more compassion if Camp-
bell wants to get forgiveness and com-
passion from the electorate.

“We are trying to be compassio-
nate,” Harris said in response. “You
cannot provide a strong social net for
your citizens if you don’t have a strong
economy to build it on.”

’ who feels the need.”

Lachlan.

NORTHERNERS are
somewhat more likely
than other B.C. residents
to cut Premier Gordon
Campbell slack for his
Jan. 10 drunk driving
arrest in Hawaii, a new
poll shows.

The findings by Ipsos-
Reid are a surprising con-
trast to its previous polls
that found Liberal support
and the premier’s approval
rating. were both sinking
fastest in the north/interior.

The new poll found 47
per cent of respondents in
this region said Campbell
should -resign over the
drunk driving incident
while 50 per cent said he
should stay.

Vancouver Island resi-
dents were less forgiving,
with 59 per cent there say-
ing he should resign to 40
per cent saying he should
stay.

Province-wide, 50 per
cent said the premier
should resign while 48 per
cent said he should stay.

Older people, men, non-
union households and

those earning more than
$60,000 per year were all
mire likely to say Camp-
bell should remain pre-
mier.

A sizable majority of
those polled in each region
said they accepted the
premier’ s apology and that
it is possible for him to

‘ish Columbians.

Guests at the Robbie Burns night include
deputy premier and education minister Christy
Clark, West Vancouver MLA Ralph Sultan
and B.C. Liberals vice-president Martin Mac-

stances.

LOCAL’ LIBERALS say they- will: go ahead“! “We have bag pipers and haggis,” Mc- * -
with plans to serve'alcoho!' at'a $50-a-plate' ' Keown said. “We're looking forward to a very,
Robbie Burns night fundraiser here on Friday.
Skeena Constituency Association president
Lael McKeown said. the event won't be can-
celled in response to Premier Gordon Camp-
: bell’s arrest for drunk driving in Hawaii.
“Alcohol is being served,” McKeown said.
“But we are also going to have a program
sponsored by Wightman and Smith that there
will be subsidized cab rides home for anyone

‘interesting, and fun evening.”
It’s the second time the event has been
planned under challenging political circum-

Last year Liberal organizers cancelled the
Robbie Burns night here because of its prox-
imity to the “Black Thursday” announcement
of civil service layoffs and because of the eco-
nomic pain in the region.

McKeown said she and the local party or-
ganization support the premier and his deci-
sion to remain in office.

“I had many phone calls that we’ve got to
get letters of support out to the premier — and

we did,” she said.

| Robbie Burns event to proceed, Libs say

“I agree he has made a tremendous perso-..,
nal mistake-and I know he will be: tremendous- an
ly hard on himself as a result of this and will :
drive himself even further for the betterment of
British Columbia.”

McKeown said it was difficult to gauge how

in Skeena.

much of a setback the premier’s arrest will be
for the party and Harris’ re-election prospects

“It’s hard to anticipate how this is going to

translate into the future and the next general

election,” she said.
McKeown stressed the Robbie Berns event

is a fundraiser in support of MLA Roger Harris

receipt.

next campaign and not provincial party coffers.
The $50 ticket cost results in a partial: tax

Poll finds B.C. split over premier,
but northerners more forgiving

PREMIER GORDON CAMPBELL is getting slightly more support in the north and interior regions of the
province than elsewhere in B.C. after his arrest for drunk driving on Maui, according to a new poll.

earn back’ the trust of Brit- |

However the numbers
were much closer on the
question of whether he has
lost the “moral authority”
to lead B.C.

And big majorities. in -

each region — around 75
per cent - agreed with a

~ statement that Campbell is

a hypocrite -because “he

would have demanded the

resignation of any other
politician in the same si-
tuation.

Support for the. B.C,

Liberals among decided
voters in the north and in-:

terior rebounded in. the
new Ipsos-Reid poll de-

spite the premier’ § arrest.

“Voters in’ othe

north/interlor region now

back the Liberals by 42
per cent versus 34 per cent
for the NDP. That's up
from a dead heat of 35-35
in December. ©

And the premier’s ap-

proval rating is up.in-ihe
region to 39 per cent from
-37 per cent last month, His ©
‘disapproval’ rating stands

at 57 per cent, down from

63 per cent.

His strongest disappro-
val ratings come on Van-
couver Island, where the
Liberals trail with 35° per
cent support to the NDP’s

42 per cent.

The poll’s accuracy of

plus or minus 3.5 per cent

19 times out of 20,

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD
The Mail Ba
rhode deg: iC al ag

Resign, please
An open letier to Premier Gordon Campbell:

Dear Sir:

I watched your Jan. 12 press conference and was
appalled by your continued arrogance toward the
people of British Columbia. Despite what your staff
writers are telling you, you are indeed a criminal,
guilty of committing a criminal offence. How dare
you try and mince words and take the typical political
dodge by not admitting you committed a criminal act.

You admit to a “terrible, horrible, personal
mistake” but do not seem to understand as an elected
individual holding an extremely high office, these
same personal actions hold you accountable as a
moral and ethical role model. You set very high
Standards of other politicians and demanded
resignations for acts that were not remotely criminal.

I am embartassed to be a British Columbian. If you
want the public’s forgiveness, do the only honourable
thing left to you, admit you are a convicted criminal,
with little respect for anyone but yourself and, resign.

Greer Kaiser, Terrace, B.C.

Disgusted by it all

Dear Sir: .

I was disgusted by the events. Notwithstanding the
usual “political speak” used to get elected, 1 was
appatled at the verbal lengths taken by our political
leaders to stay in power,

Mr. Campbell and his friends are well coached by
speechwriters and spin-doctors. In his press
conference, Mr. Campbell answered questions very
skilfully and carefully and evaded anything to do with
the word “criminal.” According to one lawyer
interviewed, a petty misdemeanour is a criminal
offence. Not saying so doesn’t make it less true.

Mr. Campbell, saying you made a “terrible,
personal mistake” does not take away from the fact
you made a personal choice to disregard the safety of
yourself and others. Getting loaded on martinis and
wine is a personal issue. Driving on the streets while
loaded is very much a public issue, There is no way
to evade this fact.

- Is the government still going to go through with
changes to allow alcohol on B.C. Ferries where one
must drive when the ferry ride is over? Are we going
to change the laws to reduce the severity of penalties
for those who drink and drive? Are their choices not
personal and terrible also? Is it only a crime if
someone .gets hurt? Or is the situation different
because, as Christy Clark said, Premier Campbell
was on vacation. Since when does being on vacation
lessen the severity of a criminal act?

Was Mr. Campbell told to say “terrible, human,
and mistake” as often as possible? I am offended by
the hypocrisy of demanding the resignation of anyone
with even the whiff of impropriety, but Mr. Campbell,
pleading no contest to a criminal offence, is to be
treated as an exception.

Mr. Harris, our local MLA, should think very
carefully about his continued blind support of Mr.
Campbell. His verbal maneuvering is desperate. ~

Anya Carrel, Terrace, B.C.

More letters, Pages A6 and A7