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B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and Premier-designate John Horgan (Black Press)

Premier-designate John Horgans new department to manage its relationship between the B.C. NDP and Green Party is a political function that should not be added to public service staff, B.C. Liberal MLA Andrew Wilkinson says.

Wilkinson sent a letter Monday to the Comptroller Generals office, asking for an urgent opinion on the Confidence and Supply Agreement Secretariat, announced July 11 by Horgan as part of the premiers office.

The agreement is the political agreement upon which the incoming NDP minority governments political survival is predicated, as Mr. Horgans NDP caucus alone does not have enough seats to survive a basic confidence motion, having failed to secure a plurality of seats in the recent provincial election, Wilkinson wrote.

By placing this so-called Secretariat within the Office of the Premier, this political office would be funded and supported by B.C. Public Service resources. They are not employed to oversee and support political agreements between parties.

Wilkinson referred to the public service code of conduct that staff are not to engage in political activities during working hours or use government facilities.

NDP spokesperson Jen Holmwood issued the following statement in response to Wilkinsons letter:

Our commitment to work with the BC Greens lays the foundation for our new government, and thats why were appointing a small team to support the policy priorities in the Confidence and Supply Agreement. This team will help deliver stable government that works for people, and we will follow any advice from the Comptroller-General to ensure the activities of the office fall within acceptable practices.

Letter From Andrew Wilkinson MLA by Tom Fletcher on Scribd

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NDP-Green office 'misuse of public funds,' BC Liberals say - Surrey Now-Leader