KASH HEED, WHO HAS DECIDED NOT TO RUN IN 2013, SAYS DECISIONS MADE BY THIS GOVERNMENT ARE BASED ON POLITICS, NOT ON THE RIGHT POLICY

Heed wonders why ‘very brilliant’ people like Ralph Sultan and Moira Stilwell are not in Cabinet

BY RATTAN MALL

Kash Heed

KASH Heed, former solicitor general, told Asian Journal this week that he has made the decision not to run in 2013.
In an exclusive interview, the MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview recounted his expectations and disappointments with provincial politics, his determination to continue advocating and pushing for changes in the policing structure in B.C., and how he feels about some members of the Liberal caucus.
Regarding his decision not to run again, Heed told me: “It was actually an easy decision, but it was a decision with mixed emotions because when I embarked on my political career, there were certain things I wanted to accomplish based on what I had experienced in 31 years of policing. And part of the reason for entering provincial politics was to create a greater awareness of the problems and create policy at the higher level to deal with these problems.”
He added: “The problems are related to our youth getting involved in gang activity, the balkanized structure of policing here in British Columbia that was not giving us an effective and accountable service, and the drug issue, because we still do not have contemporary drug policies in place to allow us to deal with the significant drug issues we are now facing.”
Kash said he entered the realm of politics with some enthusiasm to deal with those problems, but his experience as solicitor general and then as a government caucus member made him realize that “the system within British Columbia is very, very difficult to change and there really was no real, clear action by the government to make those significant changes.”
Kash slammed the bureaucracy, noting that “he continually hit roadblocks as to why we could not do something; not ‘this is how we are going to make it work.’
And he also criticized the government for making decisions “based on the interests of politics, not based on really what we should be doing.”
He added: “And that was difficult for me, being a person that always thought about doing the right thing, not the popular thing.”
Kash noted: “Unfortunately, the decisions that are made- and I am sure this is the way in a lot of the political fields – are based on politics, not on the right policy in order for us to effectively deal with our problems. And that has been difficult for me given that I am an action-oriented person based on the evidence that’s out there and I will continue to operate that way. I will not – I will not, I stress, I will not sacrifice my values, my principles and work ethic for anyone, including my political colleagues.”
Heed said: “My experience over the last three years has been interesting. It’s not one that I envisioned when I entered politics. I certainly expected something else. I expected the bureaucracy and the political side of the equation to run differently. It would be difficult to describe to your readers what it’s really like until you actually experience it. I could have never predicted the way government runs in B.C. until I’d gone through it.”
He added: “I had to learn from that. And it’s made me a stronger and better person because of that learning experience. So as I go forward with my strong principles and values of what we need to do, back to what I talked about on youth and gang issues, on drug issues and policing, I am in a better position to comment on this.”

KASH recalled how he has been commenting on problems with policing and the structure of policing in Metro Vancouver and in B.C. to me since 2002 and pointed out: “My goal was to create awareness around that and then entering politics to create policy so we could have an effective and accountable police service for all of British Columbia.”
He added: “Unfortunately, our government has decided to move forward on signing a multi-billion-dollar, 20-year contract with the RCMP without doing, in my opinion, due diligence on what the best policing model is for British Columbia. I have advocated for a blue-ribbon panel made up of experts in the field that would come together and determine what’s the best policing model for all of British Columbia, and then determine how we are going to deliver that model.”
Kash criticized what he said was a bit of a backward planning around policy which does not work, noting: “We are bound by the 20-year agreement and then we decide we are going to go out and consult British Columbians! Well that’s backward policy-making. I just don’t understand why we would do something like that.”
He added: “So that has been a real concern for me; it should be a significant concern for the people in British Columbia that are served by police agencies, and I will continue to advocate and push for changes that need to be made in B.C. regardless of what my role is, regardless if there is another opportunity to enter a different level of politics or I continue on teaching at the university as an adjunct professor.”
Kash hoped that some municipalities would exercise the opting-out clauses. In fact, just this week, the City of Richmond announced that it “plans to join other Metro Vancouver municipalities in a study to consider other models for policing, including both regional and sub-regional policing as well as a separate municipal force.”

KASH had some high praise for some of his colleagues. He told me: “I’ve met some very, very good people within government, people like Gordy [Gordon] Hogg [MLA for Surrey-White Rock, currently the Parliamentary Secretary for Non-profit Partnerships], Murray Coell [MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, who has served as minister of environment, labour, advanced education and other departments], [Education Minister] George Abbott, and Randy Hawes [MLA for Abbotsford-Mission and currently Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resource Operations Review] and we will carry on with those friendships whatever we decide we’re going to do.”
He wondered why “some very brilliant people” within the government caucus like Ralph Sultan [MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano] and Moira Stilwell [MLA for Vancouver-Langara] were not in Cabinet.
Kash said: “I am perplexed as to why these people who have vast knowledge in particular areas are not in Cabinet to ensure we have better policies in place based on their expertise.”
He added: “So when you look at the calibre of people that are there, some are of very, very high calibre. Others are not as high calibre - they’ve made it to government, to the political world, through the political side of it; not through vast experiences, intelligence and success, having a career and bringing it to the table.”
Kash said: “I go away from politics, saying that I am glad I had my 31-year career in policing, because had I entered politics as my career, I would have been so, so disappointed. So when you look at Moira and Ralph and Gordy Hogg and Randy Hawes and people like that, they had a wealth of knowledge, they had a proven career before they entered this provincial side of politics.”

(See Rattan’s Roar on Kash Heed’s background, and how the RCMP tried every dirty trick in the book to bring him down.)