VICTORIA — British Columbia's legislature has ratified the appointment of a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada to investigate allegations of spending abuses at the legislature.
Beverley McLachlin was unanimously appointed to conduct an independent investigation of allegations facing clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz, who have been suspended with pay since November after the legislature learned of an ongoing RCMP investigation.
Speaker Darryl Plecas alleged in a report last January that Lenz and James engaged in inappropriate spending, including on foreign trips.
Lenz and James deny any wrongdoing and filed written responses that outline how their expenses were approved, and saying the Speaker's report harmed their reputations.
A committee that oversees the management and financial operations of the legislature voted last month to conduct an independent fact-finding probe led by a top legal official.