British Columbia’s NDP government is under fire for quietly shutting down the Office of the Merit Commissioner as part of Tuesday’s provincial budget. During question period in the legislature the following day, there were calls for the government to reverse course. “When will this premier stop gutting the last bit of merit left in this government,” asked interim BC Conservative Leader Trevor Halford. In an interview with CTV News immediately following question period, Halford said, if anything, the office should have more resources. “Instead of eliminating the merit commissioner, we should be looking at expanding that scope,” Halford said. “The fact of the matter is this is a policy decision that this premier and this government actually hid in the budget documents—which, to me, I’ve never seen before.” The office’s role was to make sure appointments to and within the B.C. public service were based on merit rather than political loyalty. The commissioner is essentially a watchdog to review hiring, promotions and transfers. “Frankly it’s inappropriate to try and slide this into the budget and then basically forgo consultation under the excuse that it’s part of a budget review,” BC General Employees’ Union president Paul Finch told CTV News. The fact that the decision wasn’t announced prominently and was instead buried within budget documents is also attracting criticism. “The optics of the decision are clearly problematic, and to do so without making noise about it ahead of time to engage in consultations deepens the challenge,” said UBC political scientist Stewart Prest. But the finance minister insists merit-based hiring will persist even when the office is closed. “Last year alone, when the merit commissioner reviewed 276 audits of hirings and appointments in the public service, honourable speaker, they found—quote—no evidence of patronage in any appointments, honourable speaker,” Brenda Bailey said during question period in response to a question from Halford. The provincial government estimates it will save more than $2 million per year as a result of the move.
