B.C. Premier Christy Clark was all smiles lighting up the Legislature for Christmas on Wednesday, but she was nowhere to be seen minutes earlier when the NDP was asking tough questions inside.
Clark blamed fog for keeping her on the mainland, but that excuse didn’t fly with the New Democrats, who claim she missed 16 of the 24 days of the fall session.
“It’s not Gilligan’s Island, it’s Vancouver Island. There are boats, there are other planes,” NDP Leader John Horgan told reporters Wednesday.
“It’s difficult for the head of the opposition to hold the government accountable when the head of the government doesn’t show up.”
Other MLAs had flight trouble but managed to make their way to Victoria, he added.
Clark did show up on Thursday, and defended her poor attendance by assuring she can perform many of her duties away from the B.C. capital.
“Yesterday when I was delayed by fog, I was chairing a cabinet committee meeting, I met with ministers, I met with my chief of staff,” Clark said.
The NDP has been trying to rake the Liberals over the coals in recent weeks, calling for the resignation of Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk over a disclosure scandal during his time as a board member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Clark said Thursday that Virk has already apologized and she has “absolute confidence” in his job performance.
The opposition has also been highlighting a botched investigation that resulted in the firings of eight health researchers in 2012, which was followed by the suicide of a student and led to out-of-court settlements and reinstatements.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson and The Canadian Press
