Premier David Eby has rejected Opposition accusations that his government went after a whistleblower, while suggesting more effort should go into investigating problems in opioid prescriptions that they highlighted rather than the source of the leaks.
Eby said B.C.'s director of police services acted independently and the government couldn't interfere with their request for an investigation into the leaked document that alleged some pharmacies were diverting prescription opioids to the illegal market.
The investigation had triggered allegations from Conservative Leader John Rustad in the legislature that the government began an investigation into February's leak "instead of thanking the whistleblower."
Rustad's public safety critic Elenore Sturko had revealed the document that said police and the College of Pharmacists were investigating allegations that safer-supply opioids were being diverted by more than 60 pharmacies.
RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Vanessa Munn said Wednesday that police can't get into specifics, but confirmed a BC Police Act probe was launched under the law's special investigations section.
Sturko was interviewed by police, but Munn said in a statement the investigation was about a potential breach of a police officer's responsibilities, and Sturko "is not now, nor was, under investigation."
"The document was part of a set of documents related to an extensive criminal and administrative investigation of pharmacies in the province. There's no denial," Eby said in the house on Wednesday.
"We want to get to the bottom of it. That's the priority. That's where police should be spending their time and efforts."
The premier said he was "extremely reluctant to weigh in on where police put their resources."
"I really hope that there is more effort going into investigating these pharmacies rather than anything related to (Sturko) and what she did in this house," he said.
Eby said Sturko's release of the leaked documents was her "just doing her job," and he wouldn't have hesitated to do the same thing if he was on the opposition benches.
Rustad said the investigation into the leak was an attempt for the government to "put a chill" on those who speak out against them, and questioned Eby about whether it was launched at the behest of the government.
"The police, in doing the investigation, are acting independently," Eby said. "I canvassed to try to understand whether we were able to intervene in this ongoing investigation and to say that resources would be better directed elsewhere, and was advised that we are not able to."
Sturko said Wednesday that the document did not come from a police officer, but wouldn't disclose who leaked it to her out of the belief it was "in the public interest."
She said her RCMP interview raised concerns.
"It did have a chilling effect on me, mostly the fear that the individual or individuals that thought it was important to bring this information forward would be impacted," she said.
"It's not a police officer, but if they're willing to send the police to try to find a whistleblower, you know, what are they going to do if this was a health care employee or any other member of the community?"
Sturko said the document addressed a "serious safety concern" and resulted in an "immediate policy change. "
Public Safety Minister Garry Begg said the investigation into the leak was "appropriate," and doubted that Sturko was caught off guard when she was contacted for an interview because she – like Begg – had been a police officer for many years.
"She knows how police do their business," he said. "I would be very surprised if she was shocked that the police wanted to talk to her."
The B.C. government overhauled its safer-supply program shortly after the leak.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
