Apr 042013
 
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Christy Clark photographed with former Liberal candidate now facing tax-related charges.

by Bill Tieleman

"Religion and political expediency go beautifully hand in hand."
– Friedrich Durrenmatt, Swiss author

Premier Christy Clark held an "inappropriate" meeting last week with a former BC Liberal candidate who faces six federal charges for failing to file corporate income tax returns, says BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins.

This reporter has learned that Clark met on Tuesday, March 26 with Sukh Dhaliwal, who resigned his nomination in Surrey-Panorama February 8 after it was learned he faced charges filed in Federal Court on Oct 15, 2012.  Cummins said Sunday that as premier, Clark should not meet with Dhaliwal because his charges are still unresolved.

Clark’s willingness to take big political chances by being publicly seen with Dhaliwal is a clear sign that things are increasingly desperate for the party as the election nears.

"You shouldn't allow your office to be involved when someone is before the courts," Cummins said in an exclusive interview. "Prudence suggests that until that matter is resolved, the premier should not be involved — it's inappropriate." The charges have not been heard in court and thus are unproven allegations by the federal prosecutor.

This reporter was alerted to photos on the Facebook page of Surrey's Laxmi Narayan Mandir Hindu temple showing Clark and Dhaliwal receiving blessings with Marvin Hunt, her new BC Liberal candidate in Surrey-Panorama. The event seems to be a political appearance, with only BC Liberal candidates present and no New Democrat MLAs in the photos.

"You have to question the premier's judgment. That judgment is flawed, time after time," Cummins said. "There's just something that's not quite right about it." Neither the BC Liberal Party, Dhaliwal or Hunt responded to Tyee requests for comment by deadline.

Cummins noted an earlier controversy where convicted attempted murderer Jaspal Atwal was a replacement guest at the 2012 budget speech in the BC Legislature on a ticket from Premier Christy Clark¹s office. BC Liberal Party executive member Tariq Ghuman resigned his position after taking responsibility for bringing Atwal — who was convicted of shooting a visiting Indian cabinet minister in 1986 in a murder attempt — to the Legislature.

Dhaliwal has been in controversy before. In 2008, when serving as a federal Liberal Member of Parliament for Newton-North Delta, Dhaliwal sent an official letter supporting convicted international drug trafficker Ranjit Cheema to a United States judge, urging that Cheema be given a chance at rehabilitation. Although Cheema was sentenced to five years in jail for conspiracy to import 200 kilograms of heroin from Pakistan to North America, he was killed in a drive-by shooting in May 2012 in East Vancouver.

Surrey city councilor Marvin Hunt took over the Liberal nomination at Dhaliwal's urging, according to local media reports.

Dhaliwal was nominated as the BC Liberal candidate on Oct. 31, 2012 but claims that he only became aware of the charges laid October 15 involving Genko Consultants Inc., where he is president and his wife Roni secretary, in late November. When he resigned last February, Dhaliwal told media that he had been unaware of the income tax charges regarding his company, one of three he owns, and that his personal taxes were up to date.

Clark's willingness to take big political chances by being publicly seen with Dhaliwal is a clear sign that things are increasingly desperate for the party as the election nears.

Update – Response from Jaspal Atwal 

Bill Tieleman received this email from Jaspal Atwal.   He disagrees with Atwal's assertions below but says he has every right to his opinion.

From Jaspal Atwal:
I find it terribly hypocritical that BC Conservative Leader John Cummins says that Premier Christy Clark held an “inappropriate” meeting last week with former BC Liberal candidate Sukh Dhaliwal who faces six federal charges for failing to file corporate income tax returns.

Has Cummins very conveniently forgotten his own criminal record? 

While Dhaliwal is innocent until proven guilty (unless of course there is one standard for white guys and another for brown guys!), Cummins was actually convicted on six counts on grounds he did  “purchase, sell or possess illegally caught fish” in 2011.

Bill Tieleman in his column on Tuesday also unnecessarily dragged in my name for something that happened 26 years ago. He wrote: “BC Liberal Party executive member Tariq Ghuman resigned his position after taking responsibility for bringing Atwal – who was convicted of shooting a? visiting Indian cabinet minister in 1986 – to the legislature.” 

I have served my time and am carrying on legitimate business. Does that mean that I cannot ever participate in society?  Or is it because I am a brown guy while Tieleman and Cummins are white?   Some time ago, when I confronted Cummins for having brought up my past and pointed out that he too was a convict, he had the decency to admit his mistake and apologized to me.

About Bill Tieleman


Bill Tieleman, president of West Star Communications, is one of BC's best known political commentators and communicators. Read political commentary from Bill every Tuesday in 24 hours, Vancouver's free weekday newspaper (also online) and in The Tyee — BC's award-winning online magazine.

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© Copyright 2013 Bill Tieleman, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca
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