Kash Heed tells Asian Journal that Ralph Sultan and Moira Stilwell should be in cabinet

Kash Heed says that government decisions are made on the basis of politics, not policy.

Vancouver-Fraserview Liberal MLA Kash Heed appears to have blown up the bridge between him and Premier Christy Clark on his way out of provincial politics.

In a remarkably frank interview with the Asian Journal's Rattan Mall, Heed made the following statements in explaining why he won't seek reelection:

• "...the system within British Columbia is very, very difficult to change and there really was no real, clear action by the government to make those significant changes."

• "Unfortunately, the decisions that are made—and I am sure this is the way in a lot of the political fields—are based on politics, not on the right policy in order for us to effectively deal with our problems. And that has been difficult for me given that I am an action-oriented person based on the evidence that’s out there and I will continue to operate that way. I will not—I will not, I stress, I will not sacrifice my values, my principles and work ethic for anyone, including my political colleagues."

• "I expected the bureaucracy and the political side of the equation to run differently. It would be difficult to describe to your readers what it’s really like until you actually experience it. I could have never predicted the way government runs in B.C. until I’d gone through it."

• "Unfortunately, our government has decided to move forward on signing a multi-billion-dollar, 20-year contract with the RCMP without doing, in my opinion, due diligence on what the best policing model is for British Columbia. I have advocated for a blue-ribbon panel made up of experts in the field that would come together and determine what’s the best policing model for all of British Columbia, and then determine how we are going to deliver that model."

• Heed praised several caucus colleagues and questioned why “some very brilliant people”, such as Ralph Sultan and Moira Stilwell, were not in cabinet: "I am perplexed as to why these people who have vast knowledge in particular areas are not in cabinet to ensure we have better policies in place based on their expertise."

• "I go away from politics, saying that I am glad I had my 31-year career in policing, because had I entered politics as my career, I would have been so, so disappointed. So when you look at Moira and Ralph and Gordy Hogg and Randy Hawes and people like that, they had a wealth of knowledge, they had a proven career before they entered this provincial side of politics."

Premier Christy Clark's name never appeared in the 1,182-word article in the Asian Journal. Nor did Heed, a former West Vancouver police chief and former solicitor general, address the impact that a campaign-financing scandal in Vancouver-Fraserview had on his decision not to run again.

In 2011, Heed was fined $8,000 after his campaign exceeded the spending limit under the Election Act. His former campaign manager, Barinder Sall, was fined $15,000, put on probation for a year, and ordered to do community service.

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