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the Pacific Political rePort February 10, 2016 Volume 04, Issue 03 Alberta and federal Tories flock to Victoria to work for Christy Clark’s BC Liberals Last summer, day after day during Daily, a multitude of reporters, photo- management’ director, having the early weeks of the federal-general graphers and television cameramen succeeded Woodcock to the post. election campaign, the trial of Mike gathered outside the courthouse in Duffy – the Conservative-appointed Ottawa to catch the comings-and-go- Why was he attending the Duffy trial? Canadian Senator facing 31 criminal ings of those required to provide testi- And why was he talking to a key charges for, among other things, fraud mony. Nearly all of the witnesses were witness? and breach of trust – consumed con- men, all were dressed in business suits. siderable news-media attention. These and other questions soon were In late August, when Woodcock was posed to the Prime Minister and the Much of the media focus was centered on the witness stand, alert members Conservative campaign. on the politically-connected individu- of the news media took note of a man als summoned to offer sworn wearing casual attire, specifically a “Look, these are matters before the testimony during the trial. hoodie-type sweatshirt and blue-jeans, court and we don’t interfere in them,” loitering in the courthouse. Even Harper told CTV, while a Tory That number included several aides more interesting, he was taking notes campaign worker sent an email who, at one time or another, had and quietly chatting with the witness response that stated “Mr. Koolsbergen worked in the office of Prime Minister during breaks. was there to take notes, just like every- Stephen Harper. They included Nigel one else.” Wright, Harper’s ex-Chief of Staff; It soon was learned that the camou- Benjamin Perrin, a former Special flaged note-taker was a Harper staffer. The trial continued with intermittent Advisor for legal affairs and policy in breaks through to December 2015 – the PMO; and Chris Woodcock, Harp- His name was Nick Koolsbergen, and closing arguments by both the prose- er’s ‘issues management’ director. he was the Prime Minister’s ‘issues cution and defence will be made later this year – but Canadian voters went to the polls in October and cast their collective judgement on the Harper government. After nine years in power, the Tories were upset by Justin Trudeau’s Lib- eral Party and sent to the opposition benches in the House of Commons. Dozens upon dozens of Conservative staffers, political aides and factotums – along with numerous Tory MPs – suddenly were unemployed, out of a job, looking for work. Nick Koolsbergen – the hoodie- wearing courtroom monitor – was among that number. Nick Koolsbergen Who would hire him? Casually disguised Harper aide now working for Clark Liberals. Continued on p. 2 Phoenix www.pacificpoliticalreport.ca Strategies Inc. Alberta and federal Tories flock to Victoria, continued from p. 1 A philosophy major at Ontario’s Brock University, Koolsbergen had spent a decade working in Ottawa for Harper’s federal Conservatives and in Toronto for Tim Hudak’s provincial Tories. He was close to Jim Flaherty, the one- time Ontario cabinet minister and later federal Finance minister, as well as with a veteran federal Tory, Jason Kenney. But, with neither the federal nor Ontario centre-right parties in power – and thus limited in the amount of taxpayer-provided monies to make available to staffers, consultants and operatives – where could he go? The answer: Victoria, B.C. On January 22, Christy Clark’s BC Jim Flaherty Tim Hudak Liberal cabinet authorized an order- Late Conservative Finance Minister Ex-Leader of the Ontario Tories in-council that named Nicholas Koolsbergen as Executive Director, alongside a woman who has the same Woods had been working as Press Communications Operations in the title as the one he now holds. Secretary to Alberta Premier Jim province’s Government Communica- Prentice – at one time a federal cabinet tions and Public Engagement shop. Emily Woods was appointed by the minister under Stephen Harper – Clark cabinet as Executive Director, whose Progressive Conservative Known by its acronym of GCPE – Communications Operations on July government was reduced to third- before 2012 it was called the PAB (the 15, 2015. party status last spring by Rachel Public Affairs Bureau) – the office Notley and the NDP. has an annual budget in excess of $26 And just as Koolsbergen found million, and employs several hundred employment in B.C. with the Clark Interestingly, Koolsbergen and Woods people whose jobs are to put a positive, Liberals after his Conservative party are just two of more than a dozen Tory pro-government ‘spin’ on communica- lost power in Ottawa, so, too, was political hacks from Ottawa and Alber- tions with the public and news media. Woods obliged to move to Victoria ta who have found new homes in Brit- when she needed a job following ish Columbia since the Prentice and By sheer coincidence, of course, the Alberta Tories’ defeat in Harper governments last year suffered Koolsbergen will be working in GCPE May 2015. election defeats. Like the others, much – if not all – of their work over the next year will be to help the Clark government and the BC Liberals prepare to win re-election in May 2017. *** Nine months ago, Alberta was hit with a political earthquake. On May 5, 2015, for the first time in provincial history, the New Democratic Party won election to government as Rachel Notley guided her party to a solid majority with 54 of 86 legislative seats. Notley, a lawyer and seven-year Jim Prentice Emily Woods veteran of Alberta’s Legislative Defeated Alberta Premier... ...and his former Press Secretary. Continued on p. 3 Phoenix www.pacificpoliticalreport.ca Strategies - 2 - Inc. Alberta and federal Tories flock to Victoria, continued from p. 2 Assembly, also is the daughter of a legendary provincial New Democrat, Grant Notley, who died in a plane crash in 1984. In the mid-1990s, she worked in B.C. as a political aide in the New Democratic Party government led by Premier Glen Clark. Later, in 2000, she received a NDP order-in-council appointment to the board of Vancouver Community College – and surprisingly was re- appointed to the college board in 2001 by the newly-elected BC Liberal gov- ernment of Premier Gordon Campbell. Notley returned to Edmonton the following year, and won a seat in the Derek Cummings Josh Stewart provincial legislature in 2008. She was Ex-Tory aide now with Coralee Oakes Left Edmonton to work with Suzanne Anton sworn in as Premier of Alberta on May 24, 2015. *** John Reynolds, Stockwell Day and Richard Neufeld, to mention just a few. The shiny-new Notley administration Five months after Alberta voters was badly in need of experienced defeated Premier Jim Prentice’s gov- Below are a few of the ex-Conservative politicos to assist with the demands of ernment and put out of work countless staffers from Alberta and Ottawa who governance, and so as usually happens provincial Conservatives, Canadians have found new opportunities with in Canada when New Democrats find across the country similarly ended the Premier Christy Clark’s BC Liberal themselves in power, party operatives nine-year Tory government of Prime government. from across the country descended on Minister Stephen Harper. Edmonton to accept appointments and Derek Cummings – A graduate of contracts. Moving vans from every region headed Simon Fraser University, Cummings to Ottawa as Liberal operatives took up moved to Ottawa in 2005 to work More than a few British Columbians new positions in Prime Minister Justin as an assistant to a couple of Conserva- were among that number, most notably Trudeau’s new administration. tive MPs, including Vancouver Island John Heaney, who quit his position as Tory John Duncan. Later, he joined the Chief of Staff to John Horgan, the B.C. Among that number were two former staff of Gary Lunn, also a B.C. MP, and NDP Leader, to accept an appointment ministerial Chiefs of Staff in Premier Minister of Natural Resources. as Notley’s Deputy Minister for Policy Christy Clark’s government – Richard Coordination. Maksymetz and Matt Stickney – who In 2008, Cummings left the nation’s now work in a similar capacity for capital to take up a job in Alberta with Yet the historic NDP victory in Alberta Trudeau ministers (see The Pacific the Ministry of Energy. He worked was but one component of the political Political Report, January 13, 2016). there until early 2012, when he moved earthquake that last spring shook into Premier Alison Redford’s office to Alberta. The other was the shocking Numerous other B.C. Grits have been oversee strategic communications and demise of the long-governing – 43 hired to toil in a political role on behalf issues management. years – Progressive Conservative of the new administration. government. A couple of years later he was At the same time, ex-Conservative promoted to Press Secretary for And just as dozens of New Democrats politicos packed up and moved out of the Minister of International and found new employment in the Notley the nation’s capital, looking for new Intergovernmental Relations, and government, a similar – if not greater employment opportunities. subsequently transferred back to work – number of Alberta Tory operatives for the Minister of Energy. discovered themselves without a Perhaps it is not surprising British paycheque. Columbia has become a preferred Cummings was unemployed only for destination for many newly- a few months after the Alberta NDP’s Many of them promptly scooted across unemployed Tory aides, in light election to government, for on July 6, the Rocky Mountains to find work of the numerous close relationships 2015, Christy Clark’s BC Liberal with Premier Christy Clark’s BC over the years between BC Liberals cabinet signed an order-in-council Liberal government.

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