Minister of State for Multiculturalism steps aside

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – British Columbia’s Minister of State for Multiculturalism John Yap has stepped aside.

Premier Christy Clark says Minister of State for Seniors, Ralph Sultan, will be taking over Yap’s duties as multiculturalism minister of state and minister of advanced education, innovation and technology until a review of a leaked government strategy is competed by her deputy minister John Dyble.

Yap says he’s only stepping down because it’s the right thing to do and he looks forward to being cleared by the review.

Meanwhile, Clark is again apologizing again for the whole ordeal.

“It was wrong, it’s right that we reach out to all of the communities in British Columbia, it’s right that we make sure they are full participants in our province in every way, but the document should never have been created,” explains Clark.

Clark says the review will highlight whether taxpayer funding was used to reach ethnic voters.

NDP MLA Carole James says it was.

“This to do list shows public dollars being used for partisan purposes, and remember this meeting included the former deputy Chief of Staff, the current Ministerial Assistant and the Office of the Premier and the Director of Outreach,” says James.

Opposition calls for independent investigator

The NDP also wants Clark to appoint a third party investigator to conduct the review ethnic votes strategy.

Leonard Krog says John Dyble has no authority to do the investigation and he’s been put in a difficult position.

“He is not statutorily charged to conduct an investigation, he is not a police officer, he doesn’t even have the status of a lawyer in a civil law suit who could demand that the other side produce documents and examine under oath the other party to the proceeding,” explains Krog.

Clark says Dyble has his own reputation as an independent public servant to preserve and will do this free of any political influence.