Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 01:30 PM
VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor says British Columbia's former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways.
Brock Martland made the allegation as he began closing arguments in the Crown's case against Craig James, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust.
James's defence is expected to present its case Wednesday.
Martland says that as the most senior officer of the legislature, James held a position akin to the CEO and was responsible for financial stewardship of the institution.
He accused James of acting outside of his duties by picking up a wood splitter and trailer for the legislature and storing them at home for a year, exploiting a weakness in the system to award himself a $258,000 retirement benefit and charging souvenirs to the public purse.
Martland says public trust in government officials is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and he alleged that James violated that trust.
"This case is about trust, specifically the public trust that we place in government officials," Martland told the court on Tuesday.
"Our position is that the public trust was violated repeatedly and extensively by Craig James."
The campaign, which is to begin today and run until March 18, will see the government match donations by Canadians dollar for dollar to a maximum of $10 million, says a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public.
Dr. Theresa Tam says she hopes Canada is past the pandemic crisis and is now in a transition phase, headed toward recovery. She says Canada must still be ready to bring some public health measures back if cases begin to shoot up again.
A statement from the premier's office provides few details about the nature of the announcement other than to confirm Horgan will be available to answer questions after the swearing-in.
Staff from the restaurant immediately called 911, as they observed the suspect depart and noted his direction of travel. The suspect allegedly stopped and threatened the staff members with a weapon.
To further the investigation, the victim has been identified as 66-year-old Terry Miller of Coquitlam. There was a second victim, also stabbed, but is recovering.
Horgan's annual salary is about $211,000 a year, while cabinet ministers are paid about $167,000, but the 10 per cent that is withheld is only on the portion of their incomes that relate to their cabinet positions.
