NDP Leader Adrian Dix highlights how white the premier's office is under Christy Clark

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      NDP Leader Adrian Dix knows his party will have to do better in the suburbs of Vancouver if it is going to win the next provincial election.

      And judging from a recent exchange with Premier Christy Clark in the legislature, Dix understands that one way to make progress is to appeal to new Canadians.

      These voters, along with the young and so-called soccer moms, are the three groups that tend to be the least loyal to specific parties.

      And there are a lot of new Canadians living in vote-rich Burnaby, Surrey, and the Tri-Cities.

      On June 1 during an estimates debate concerning the premier's office budget, Dix noted that Clark "had unfettered access to hire anyone she wanted" after giving severance packages to senior members of former premier Gordon Campbell's staff.

      Then Dix asked Clark if her hiring reflected the diversity of the province.

      Clark sidestepped the inquiry, acknowledging: "We are not where we need to be in terms of public sector diversity. I've asked my deputy.... I've tasked him, and he has sat down with other deputies across government to come up with a strategy that we will act on quickly to increase diversity in the public service."

      Dix came roaring back a short while later by saying it was a straightforward question. "I mean, the premier hired a bunch of people," he said. "How did those hirings reflect her diversity goal? I've asked a couple of times. She apparently doesn't want to answer, which may tell us something about what she thinks of the answer."

      Clark then said that about half of the people employed in the premier's office are female. "With the NDP, I notice in question period, as a matter of fact, that as we sit there it's almost all guys that get up and ask the questions," Clark retorted.

      For good measure, Dix also mentioned in the debate that Clark's transition team included former Alberta energy executive Gwyn Morgan. In the past, Morgan has claimed that "most immigrants who abuse our society have come in as refugee claimants".

      Six of the seven highest-ranking officials in the premier's executive branch are male: chief of staff Mike MacDonald, principal secretary Dimitri Pantazopoulos, director of communications Shane Mills, press secretary Chris Olsen, manager of communications and issues management Doug Brown, and senior communications coordinator Trevor Halford. The only woman in the bunch is Kim Haakstad, who is deputy chief of staff, operations.

      In the entire premier's office, according to the B.C. government directory, there is not a single employee with a South Asian-, Chinese-, Filipino-, or Korean-sounding surname.

      Dix, on the other hand, has employed staff from diverse backgrounds in his Vancouver-Kingsway constituency office.

      Don't expect this discrepancy to go unnoticed by media outlets that target new Canadians.

      Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

      Comments

      19 Comments

      NoLeftNutter

      Jun 6, 2011 at 3:03pm

      AD, aren't you the party that ran 5 white guys in the leadership race after chasing out a female leader? And aren't you supposed to have one of your three senior executives as a female, when can we expect an announcement on that?

      Lastly, since when does having a South Asian, Chinese, Filipino or Korean "sounding" surname proof of diversity, Charlie Smith?

      HellSlayerAndy

      Jun 6, 2011 at 3:56pm

      Huh?
      I guess it's safe to mention this stuff AFTER the leadership contest?
      Perhaps everyone forgot that there were no women directly involved in their leadership contest, save the NDP's most 'visible' visible minority, as well their female leader, unceremoniously tossed under a bus to protect Sihota and the Fed?

      The 'only' non-white in the Leadership contest complained that the fees were so exorbitantly high that the only people who could afford to run....were rich white men.

      When out in the suburbs Adrian, make sure you mention increased Arts funding -- that's a big seller too!

      David1972

      Jun 6, 2011 at 5:39pm

      Are you kidding me? this is what Dix has to offer? I normally vote NDP, but this was the last straw. I will probably just stay home next election.

      Taxpayers R Us

      Jun 6, 2011 at 6:18pm

      Pick up your notebook folks, this is another excellent lesson from the BC NDP on how to set yourself up for a loss in the next election.

      The instant any party puts weight on skin colour or gender, they label themselves as racist or sexist.

      Evil Eye

      Jun 6, 2011 at 6:58pm

      If Mr. Dix wishes to gain votes in the Fraser Valley, then support the Rail for the Valley groups plan for a Vancouver to Chilliwack tramtrain service!

      Don't listen to McPhail and her yesterdays crowd wanting SkyTrain, she hasn't a clue. Remember the NDP flip-flop from LRT to SkyTrain in the 90's - remember getting only two seats at the next election. Think about it.

      monty/that's me

      Jun 6, 2011 at 10:10pm

      Please identify the background, education and experience of this lot in
      girly girl's office. And, What are their salaries and benefits? With her limiting grade 12 education who is it chose this group of new hires? Do they have any comprehension of government? Are these friends of Patrick Kinsella?
      The "soccer" moms may have been the stay-at-home group who were the listening audience for that shrill voice on NW.
      Certain ethnic voters are the strongest lobby groups in Canada. The CBC made that clear when they interviewed residents of Hamilton who switched from Liberal to Conservative in the federal election. They bluntly stated that if those Fundamentalist Christians don't give them what they want, they will vote them out next time. Have a caution when trying to identify the multicultural groups as all the same.

      Surely to goodness that lusty Joy McPhail is not skulking around trying to influence Adrain?

      @Dix

      Jun 6, 2011 at 11:28pm

      Transit is an easy way to topple the Liberals if you haven't guessed, yet. I mean who the heck would spend $2 fricken billion to run a subway below sea level to Richmond? Lots of top thinkers can take credit for that. Look, at grade transit works everywhere else and it would work here, too. I have a second residence in Edmonton and transit only costs $200 on my municipal bill every year. Here, I shell out $150 for the transit levy every year for just our two cars and according to a recent study most pay $550 annually to fund transit here. Something is wrong.

      RonS

      Jun 7, 2011 at 4:25am

      LIbERal PABS out in force today. What's the problem? Your airhead leader hasn't said anything intelligent since she became da preem. All she can do is repeat "families first" without providing any proof of what she means. It's like she learned something new from rote and can't get over how it sounds coming out of her mouth. That is her mouth I'm assuming it's coming from.

      Reading her reply to Dix's questions is just like listening to a smelly fart squeaking out of that jar of her's, nothing to see but it sure smells!

      Dina Sangha

      Jun 7, 2011 at 8:56am

      Dix made a mistake letting Clark turn this into a women's issue and then attacking him and the NDP. The fact that she didn't hire any visible minorities in her office at all should have been a fatal error, but still she managed to make Dix look bad on the exchange.

      Fan'o Truth

      Jun 7, 2011 at 11:42am

      What is the total staff complement, in terms of person years and salary dollars, in the Premier's Office? How much of each is accounted for by women and minorities?