Burnaby-Lougheed MLA Harry Bloy says he had no knowledge of the leaked email outlining the Liberals' plan to target the ethnic vote.
The NOW caught up with Bloy on March 8 at the official opening for the Swedish Assisted Living Residence, and when asked if he had any knowledge of the email or the plan, Bloy's response was simply "no." When he was asked if the email was ever sent to him, he also replied "no."
The 17-page "multicultural strategic outreach plan" was sent on Jan. 10, 2012, by Kim Haakstad, Premier Christy Clark's deputy chief of staff, to various government staffers, including Bloy's then-executive assistant David Ritchie and Burnaby's Brian Bonney, who was working in the communication department for the multiculturalism ministry at the time. The strategy designated overall responsibility for the plan to the minister of state for multiculturalism, a post Bloy held in January 2012.
Since news of the email broke, Clark has apologized, Haakstad has resigned and John Yap, the current minister of state for multiculturalism, has stepped aside while an investigation is pending to determine if government resources were misused. Public service employees are forbidden from using government resources for partisan purposes. The strategy also outlined a "quick win" component, that suggested the Liberals "identify and advance government initiatives and projects that would be resonant in ethnic communities" and "identify and correct 'historical wrongs,' i.e.: the Komagata Maru apology in the House."
Someone leaked the email to the NDP, who presented it in the legislature on Feb. 28.
When asked if he was planning to run in the next election, Bloy replied: no comment.
