A former president of the Liberal Party’s B.C. chapter who has donated $30,000 to the party since 2004 was appointed to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority this month.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau (Notre Dame de Grâce-Westmount, Que.) named North Vancouver lawyer Craig Munroe to the 11-member board on Nov. 15 for a three-year term.
His office called Mr. Munroe “eminently qualified,” while NDP ethics critic Nathan Cullen said it calls into question the merit-based appointment process Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) has promised.
Mr. Munroe has been a consistent Liberal donor over the years, regularly meeting Elections Canada maximums.
Elections Canada filings show Mr. Munroe donated $30,413.92 to the Liberal Party, various riding associations and political candidates. Mr. Munroe, who until recently served as a party lawyer and is a partner at Fasken Martineau in Vancouver, last donated in September 2017.
In 2012, he gave $600 to then leadership candidate Mr. Trudeau. In 2006, he split donations to leadership candidates, with $500 to Gerard Kennedy and $140 to Michael Ignatieff.
Mr. Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley, B.C.) said the appointment “raises some flags” in the midst of ongoing appointment problems “across the board,” including “massive” delays that have created a backlog of unfilled positions.
“Now we have this, which is at the very minimum a situation where it looks like Liberals picking Liberals for plum appointments,” said Mr. Cullen .
full story at http://www.hilltimes.com/2017/11/29/grits-name-ex-liberal-b-c-president-to-port-authority-board/126978
