Pat Bell and Shirley Bond shot back at Liberal caucus colleague Kash Heed on Tuesday after Heed called on both of them to resign their cabinet posts.
"Kash Heed has got zero credibility," Bell, the jobs, tourism and skills training minister, said. "This is a guy who has had to step down from cabinet twice."
Bond, the justice minister, said it's never pleasant to have a colleague call for your resignation but as a departing MLA Heed has nothing to lose.
"I think Kash has demonstrated over the past number of months and longer that he is prepared to make negative comments about his colleagues on a fairly regular basis," she said. "I believe in the integrity of team and working constructively with our colleagues."
In a opinion piece published by the Huffington Post on Tuesday morning, Heed said Bond and Bell should step aside pending further investigation into alleged improprieties surrounding the procurement process for the Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC). Heed said he based his opinion on the media reports he's read and discussions he's had with colleagues.
"I was waiting for some leadership on this particular issue with regards to accountability, responsibility and ensuring that we maintain the integrity of the executive council here in British Columbia," Heed said in an interview with The Citizen. "I wasn't asking for anyone to pass judgment on Mr. Bell or Ms. Bond, I was just asking for someone to show some leadership so the citizens of British Columbia could have confidence in their government, in the Liberal party and the executive council."
Bond pointed out that Heed didn't base his resignation demand on any evidence.
"To make that kind of statement about two colleagues based on what he's read in the media; he would be the first person to tell you that he doesn't always believe in the accuracy of media reports," she said.
Heed said he was surprised that his column drew so much attention and said it wasn't written with the intention of influencing the provincial election.
"The timing of this wasn't to affect any outcome in May," he said. "The timing of this was to maintain the integrity of the executive council."
Prince George businessmen Dan McLaren and Brian Fehr lodged complaints in November with the fairness reviewer for the $25 million WIDC project. Fehr alleged Bell promised that his company would be shortlisted for the contract, but his group was not part of the final three. PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., was awarded the contract last Friday.
Fairness reviewer Jane Shackell released her full report last week, which concluded that the part of the process under her jurisdiction proceeded appropriately.
"I have concluded that the allegations made by Mr. Fehr and Mr. McLaren should not result in any revision of my earlier conclusion that the RFQ process was managed fairly and in accordance with the project documents," Shackell wrote.
Bond said in her nearly two decade career in public office, both as a school board trustee and as an MLA, that she's always acted with integrity. She said although she did advocate for the WIDC project in downtown Prince George, that she never overstepped her role as an elected official.
"Clearly the fairness advisor and NDIT - both organizations involved in the matter - have said there was no interference," she said.
Heed acknowledged Shackell's report, but said she didn't have the mandate to give the issue a full airing.
"Even some of the words that she used questioned whether or not she had the scope or even the terms of reference to look into the issues that have been brought forward by the complaint filed by the two individuals in Prince George," he said.
Heed has not shied away from taking controversial stances in the past and was at the centre of an Elections Act controversy of his own in 2009. He twice had to step down from his cabinet post as solicitor general - something both Bond and Bell were quick to point out.
"It's unfortunate he chooses to make comments like this, but he has no credibility in my books," Bell said.
Heed, a one-term MLA, isn't seeking re-election in his Vancouver-Faserview riding. Bell won't be seeking re-election either, stepping down for health reasons after three terms representing Prince George Mackenzie. Bond will be on the ballot in May in Prince George Valemount, seeking a fourth term.
