Vaughn Palmer: Ousted by NDP, MLA says he’s now free to advocate for his constituents

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VICTORIA — Three months after Premier David Eby kicked Adam Walker out of the NDP caucus, the now-independent MLA says he is having the best time of his brief career in provincial politics.

“The last few weeks have been the most enjoyable time I’ve had as an MLA,” Walker said this week.

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He credited the freedom to speak out on behalf of his Parksville-Qualicum constituents, unencumbered by party discipline and government messaging.

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It recalls the two years he spent as a member of council in Qualicum Beach, before he was elected to the legislature in the 2020 provincial election.

The premier ousted Walker from the NDP caucus on Sept. 17 for unspecified “misconduct” in relation to a workplace complaint.

“This was not a happy decision,” claimed Eby. “It was a very difficult call to make to Mr. Walker.”

Difficult, but not time consuming. The premier took all of 2½ minutes to communicate what was clearly a fait accompli.

“I’ve made up my mind, you’re out of caucus — and that was the crux of the whole conversation,” the badly shaken MLA told the Canadian Press.

Later, Eby clarified that the ouster was not related to sexual harassment or a criminal matter.

But Walker’s misconduct in handling of unionized workforce in his MLA constituency office was still “serious and concerning” enough to warrant expulsion.

“MLAs are also employers,” explained Eby. “They have to run an office in their community, they have obligations to their employees. And they’re operating in a unionized environment with collective agreements as well. Which adds a level of complexity for people who maybe haven’t been employees before.”

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Walker’s offence — whatever it was — could not be remedied by any training or rehabilitative process, said the premier. The MLA was also out as parliamentary secretary for sustainable development, a functionary position that included a $17,000 top up to his $115,000 MLA salary.

Walker initially hoped to clear his name through an arbitration process under the union contract.

But when the New Democrats sided with his accuser to the extent of relocating her to a job inside government, Walker concluded there was little point in seeking redress.

Instead, he settled into life as an independent MLA, taking his seat in the back row behind the Opposition when the legislature convened in early October.

He kept a low profile at first but eventually found his footing in his new role as “the fourth and a half party” in the legislature.

He also emerged late in the session as one of the more-effective critics of the NDP housing legislation, drawing on his experience as a municipal councillor and concerns relayed by constituents.

He managed to put NDP Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon on the defensive several times by revealing the gaps in legislation that was heavy on rhetoric, light on actual details as to how it would work.

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Their sharpest exchange occurred near the end of the session, when Kahlon — who also serves as house leader for the government — introduced a motion to cut off further debate on the housing legislation.

“We have tried to reach an informal agreement on the allocation of time for the business of this house with three distinct opposition house leaders as well as an independent member,” claimed Kahlon, by way of justification for bringing down the legislative guillotine.

“However, we are unable to reach a consensus.”

Not so, said Walker, rising on a point of order.

“The minister mentioned that efforts were made with all three parties and an independent member to negotiate scheduling. That conversation never did take place, and I would ask the member to withdraw that.”

Kahlon refused to withdraw. Instead he weaselled.

He admitted that he’d only spoken to the house leader for the Conservatives “who said they do not agree with this approach and would not support it. Clearly, with one dissenter, consensus on an agreement would not be met with all the parties.”

So he’d misled the house about the extent of his consultations. Walker had caught him out, as had the house leaders of the Greens and B.C. United, who levelled similar accusations.

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Nevertheless, Kahlon said “I stand by my statement and actions,” which is the kind of thing one can get away with when backed by an unquestioning majority of government MLAs.

Walker’s exchanges with his former caucus colleague gave a glimpse of what MLAs might be capable of saying, were they not bound and gagged by party discipline.

He won Parksville-Qualicum with a 2,000-vote margin over incumbent B.C. Liberal MLA Michelle Stilwell in 2020. After the recent electoral redistribution, the riding is now part of Ladysmith-Oceanside, a mishmash that flanks the two Nanaimo ridings to the north and the south.

Walker says he has every intention of running again but hasn’t decided whether as an independent or with one of the parties trying to recruit him.

The New Democrats are already looking around for a candidate to challenge Walker, setting the stage for a contest as bitter as those pitting B.C. United against its former colleagues in the Conservative party.

vpalmer@postmedia.com

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