VANCOUVER — The abrupt cancellation of the so-called bingogate inquiry raises the appearance of a conflict of interest and sounds the death knell for future public inquiries, its former commissioner said Friday.
Murray Smith harshly criticized the decision and its ramifications one week after the new Liberal government terminated the long-running inquiry into gaming activities in British Columbia, including the charity-skimming scandal that involved an NDP fund-raising arm.
The Smith Commission, which focused primarily on the actions of the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holding Society and how it diverted millions of dollars meant for charity to the NDP, was scrapped by new Attorney General Geoff Plant.
The move came within soon after the victorious Liberals took power after routing the NDP in the May 16 provincial election.
The attorney general said there was nothing new to be learned and that the inquiry, which had bogged down in court proceedings, was becoming too expensive.
The court action involved 22 people who were told confidentially by Smith that his final report might make “adverse findings” against them. They hired lawyers and went to British Columbia Supreme Court to determine whether Smith had such jurisdiction.
