British Columbia Premier Christy Clark's deputy chief of staff has resigned, days after the leak of a controversial document outlining the Liberals' plan to win ethnic votes in the upcoming provincial election.
Kim Haakstad had offered advice and input during the drafting stages of the Liberals' "Multicultural Strategy" revealed in documents leaked by the NDP earlier this week.
The documents were originally sent from Haakstad's e-mail account in January last year and revealed a proposed outreach plan involving the premier's office, the Multiculturalism Ministry, the government caucus and the B.C. Liberal Party.
Clark, who accepted Haakstad's resignation Friday night, maintains she didn't know who crafted the controversial document and said she has asked for a review to ensure no government resources were inappropriately used.
On Thursday, Clark apologized in a written statement for the language used in the document that outlined "quick wins" for the Liberals, such as making apologies in the legislature for historical wrongs, specifically mentioning the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, which saw a ship carrying 356 passengers forced to return to India after a two-month standoff in Vancouver Harbour.
"The document did not recognize there are lines that cannot be crossed in conducting this outreach and it is unacceptable," Clark's statement read. "The language in this draft document and some of the recommendations are absolutely inappropriate."
More to come