In 2013, Richmond-Steveston MLA John Yap directed his BC Liberal staff to conduct a “ruthless” election campaign, including ignoring people and organizations who work with homeless people, those requiring social assistance — such as the mentally ill and disabled — as well as “outright socialists.”
Yap’s comments were captured in evidence provided by Crown prosecutors to B.C. Provincial Court in the Jan. 31 sentencing of Brian Bonney, the former director of communications in Yap’s Ministry of Multiculturalism, who pled guilty to breach of trust.
Bonney, a previous BC Liberal executive, was hired as a government employee. As such, Bonney should have ceased his political work. Instead, however, he used government time to hire, via his numbered companies, outreach workers for the party, who were tasked to garner votes from minorities — a scheme dubbed “Quick Wins,” but officially known as the BC Liberal Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan. The party eventually refunded taxpayers about $70,000.
Two media outlets requested the court evidence used in the sentencing; roughly 1,000 pages, including personal emails — obtained from individuals and Google accounts — between Bonney and Yap prior to the 2013 election.
After one female outreach worker indicated to Bonney that a meeting with a Tanzanian group didn’t go well, Yap directed Bonney and his workers to be more discerning.
Yap responded: “We should focus on the 60 % and essentially not bother with some demographics that will not likely or absolutely never support us, eg. ‘Homeless people’ or ‘people dependent on social supports’, who tend to be left leaning or outright socialist We (our team) do not have the time resources to chase every single group out there that is ‘cordial’ with her. She should be more ruthless in deciding who has ‘good potential’ and who has ‘little or none,’” noted TheBreaker.news.
De Whalen, chair of the Richmond Poverty Response Committee, described Yap’s tactics as both “outrageous” and “demeaning” toward vulnerable people.
The Richmond News asked Yap to explain his comments.
“That’s not who I am and my record shows that.
“It was a time when we were politically far down in the polls and the focus was getting ready to prosecute a tough campaign. The email would have been sent not as a minister, not as a politician but as a candidate. I was wearing the hat of someone who wanted to work with a political supporter.”
Asked if he felt he and his party thought they had no chance of gaining the support of poor and vulnerable people, Yap said: “When I look back, certainly I regret being in a position to express myself that way.”
Yap maintains his public service record shows otherwise and “those comments, inelegant, do not represent who I am. Totally regrettable.”
Whalen said she would expect all candidates to reach out to social service agencies “to listen to them, to hear their concerns and to accommodate them on their platform.”
Whalen disagreed with Yap on the 16-year BC Liberal track record toward poor and vulnerable people, pointing to problems with youth in care, 84 per cent growth in homelessness since 2014 and zero additional support for the disabled.
Quick Wins was seen by many as damaging the democratic process.
Indeed, noted Judge D St. Pierre: “Those cynics who disbelieve that government actually works for the benefit of the people, and not themselves, are richly rewarded when this type of story emerges.
“I find that the misuse of government power or resources for other purposes, such as the gaining an unfair advantage on political opponents is properly characterized as a kind of political corruption.”
Said Yap following the sentence: “We have heard through the courts that potentially some lines were crossed.”
But Judge D St. Pierre was more forthright in his analysis: “This is not a case of confusion in where those lines should be drawn.”
Judge D St. Pierre also concluded Bonney was not the “architect” of the scheme, which went “far up the chain of command,” noting evidence indicates implementation was largely carried out by Minister of State for Multiculturalism Harry Bloy (Yap’s junior minister).
When asked by the News who were the true architects of the BC Liberal Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan (Quick Wins), Yap said: “That is something I really wouldn’t want to speculate on.
“There are court records. Others can read materials and draw conclusions.”
Yap went on to win the 2013 election. He noted to the News he also went on to win the 2017 election, "with support of constituents."
