Richmond-Steveston MLA John Yap says he will wait until the sentencing process for Brian Bonney has concluded until he comments on the actions of his former director of communications during his time as Minister of State for Multiculturalism.
On Oct. 12, Bonney, as reported by the Vancouver Sun, pleaded guilty to breach of trust dating back to offences in 2011 and 2012 related to the “Quick Wins” ethnic outreach scandal investigation.
“I will reserve comments until after that happens, out of respect for the process. I will say this; this matter has gone on for a number of years. When it is concluded, I’ll be pleased it’s finally concluded. We’re not quite there yet,” Yap told the News.
Quick Wins involved the use of taxpayer money for partisan BC Liberal purposes to attract ethnic voters to the party leading up to the 2013 provincial election. While Yap resigned from cabinet that year, he handily won re-election.
Over the years, Yap has declined to comment on anything related to Quick Wins, stating the matter is before the courts. In that time, Bonney was ordered by the court not to have any contact with several people, including Yap.
The local MLA said he will answer questions after Bonney is sentenced under the Criminal Code, which is expected to be on Dec. 6 and 7.
It was found that, during the RCMP’s Quick Wins investigation, Bonney, while working for Yap, failed to report his connections to a communications firm working for the Liberals.
A special review of the partisan ethnic outreach plans also found Bonney, a government official, spent up to half his time working for the Liberals on ethnic outreach.
The BC Liberals ended up repaying the public purse $70,000.
