Sister of wrongly fired BC health worker critical of Clark

VICTORIA – The sister of a BC government health worker who took his own life after being falsely accused of wrongdoing calls BC Liberal Leader Christy Clark’s response to a report on the issue “callous” and “cynical.”

Linda Kayfish says Clark’s handling of the matter has been entirely political, from the point in 2012 when the Liberal health minister announced the actions of the workers had jeopardized the privacy of residents and the ministry’s reputation.

The ombudsman’s report released last week says the eight workers were fired because of a flawed and rushed investigation and didn’t deserve the personal, financial and professional harm they suffered.

Kayfish’s brother, Roderick MacIsaac, took his own life four months after being fired, and she questions the premier’s “false sense of propriety” for saying politicians should not get involved in firing decisions in the public service.

“Everything about Christy Clark’s handling of the health firings has been political,” continues Kayfish. “The premier has known for years that her government was responsible for a deadly miscarriage of justice, but instead of taking responsibility and making things right she decided to kick it down the road from one process to another, just delaying and evading and hoping that people forget,” says Kayfish. “This was pure politics and my family was just collateral damage to her. She thinks we’re expendable.”

After asking that the Legislature be dissolved for the upcoming election, Clark was peppered with questions from reporters about whether any changes will be made following the report and Kayfish’s comments. “Kim Henderson is the chief of the Civil Service. It’s her job to deal with that. Her direction from me and from our cabinet is to make sure that we accept all of them ombudsman’s recommendations, which we’ve done. And she’s going to make sure that all of that work is done.”

Clark was pressed on whether she would consider an in-person apology to Kayfish and her family. “Certainly, absolutely. If it would bring Miss Kayfish some closure — absolutely. I’d be quite happy to repeat the apologies that the government made on behalf of the Civil Service in the Legislature.”

She was asked repeatedly why she hadn’t done that yet, and Clark appeared to have skirted around the question and said again, she would apologize in person.

Ombudsman Jay Chalke’s report found that the premier and other officials did not direct the dismissals, but were aware of them.

A retired Supreme Court of Canada judge has been appointed by the BC government to oversee reparation payments recommended in Chalke’s report and Clark apologized to the workers and their families.

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