Christy Clark's reasons to quit aren't merely childish

Surely there's a hidden story in the sudden departure of Christy Clark, despite her claims otherwise.

"Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it. They may be distressed in the midst of all their power; but they will never look to anything but power for their relief."

-- Edmund Burke, 1791

Say what you will about putting family before politics, one thing is indisputable: Christy Clark's sudden surprise resignation last week as deputy premier put a long knife into Gordon Campbell's back.

There is no doubt that Clark's stated intention to spend more time with her three-year-old son Hamish and husband Mark Marissen, Prime Minister Paul Martin's top federal Liberal operative in B.C., is genuine.

But to think that explains the ambitious and intensely political Clark's sole motivation defies all logic.

After all, the timing of Clark's resignation overshadowed three of Gordon Campbell's few-and-far-between good-news stories: his key role at the first-ministers conference on health care; a Mustel Group poll putting the Liberals ahead of the NDP for the first time in months, 43 percent to 37 percent; and the announcement of a budget surplus of $865 million for this year.

So unless Clark has learned absolutely nothing from spending most of her life active in politics, there is a hidden story in her departure.

The explanations for quitting when and how she did just don't stand up to basic political loyalties.

First, Clark phoned her resignation in to Campbell while the premier was still in Ottawa, rather than waiting for his return to B.C. Clark's stated reason for not waiting to tell her leader in person that she had to leave? Her riding association's annual general meeting was that night, and, as she told media on Thursday, "I couldn't go into that meeting and not tell them what I had decided."

Yeah, right. Television news that evening showed perhaps 18 to 24 people in attendance at Clark's AGM. The meeting could easily have been postponed to let Clark inform her premier first. She could have even called everyone herself.

Alternatively, if Clark's comments were genuine, one can only conclude that she values immediately informing a handful of local party members well above not spoiling the good news being enjoyed by her government.

Then there are Clark's comments to media that she might have stayed if she had not been given the Ministry of Children and Families in Campbell's last cabinet shuffle. Campbell told the Vancouver Sun on September 17 that his former education minister had never complained about her new assignment and that when she called him in Ottawa, she never asked for a different job in cabinet.

Clark's announcement also came on the same day that newspaper headlines featured police charges of drug-trafficking against David Basi, the fired former ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins.

Basi still faces a police investigation that alleges he violated five other Criminal Code sections, including conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime and influence-peddling connected to the raid on the B.C. legislature.

Search-warrant information released by the B.C. Supreme Court shows that Clark's brother, Bruce, is alleged to have received confidential government documents from Basi about the privatization of BC Rail's Roberts Bank spur line, a deal potentially worth $100 million. Police searched the home of Bruce Clark, a prominent federal Liberal who has served on the B.C. wing's executive and was also the main B.C. fundraiser for Paul Martin's leadership campaign.

Christy Clark's husband, Mark Marissen, was visited by police in connection with allegations that Basi and Robert Virk, thení‚ ­ministerial assistant to the transportation minister, committed fraud and breach of trust.

But Christy Clark says the timing of charges against Basi and the release of search-warrant information regarding her brother had nothing to do with her decision. Police say neither Bruce Clark nor Marissen are under investigation at this time. Nonetheless, the closeness of Clark's family and federal Liberal friends to a criminal investigation has to be seen as a possible impetus to leave politics.

Numerous other theories are now being floated by Liberals and non-Liberals alike about Clark's reasons for quitting.

The most interesting is that Clark was uncomfortable with the increasingly social-conservative bent of the Campbell Liberals.

Clark, a federal Liberal who previously worked in Ottawa for thení‚ ­transport minister Doug Young, is said to be unhappy with the influence of federal Conservative party supporters like Solicitor General Rich Coleman--who has been quietly preparing for a possible leadership run after Campbell steps down--Energy Minister Richard Neufeld, and Campbell chief of staff Martyn Brown.

But whatever the reasons for Christy Clark's sudden resignation, the timing and circumstances seem calculated to cause maximum discomfort for Gordon Campbell.

Bill Tieleman is president of West Star Communications and a regular political commentator on CBC Radio's Early Edition. E-mail him at weststar@telus.net.