British Columbia MLA Adam Walker says he hopes to clear his name after what he called an “abrupt” decision by Premier David Eby to remove him from the NDP caucus over a human resources complaint.
Walker said the prime minister told him in a two-and-a-half-minute call on Sunday afternoon that he would no longer be a member of the group.
“And the gist of it was, basically, I’ve already made up my mind, you’re out of the caucus, and that was the crux of the whole conversation,” Walker said Monday.
The details of what led to Walker’s dismissal have not been made public, and both Walker and Eby say privacy rules prevent them from speaking about a human resources complaint.
“There is a clear path as to the next steps to clear my name and address the situation and that will be done through arbitration,” Walker said.
“And I have full faith that that process will be carried out in a timely manner, to ensure that all the appropriate facts are considered and good results are obtained.”
Eby said in an unrelated news conference Monday that he decided Walker needed to be removed after a formal investigation by the NDP caucus.
He said a complaint was filed by an employee in late July and that the matter does not involve allegations of sexual harassment and is not a criminal matter.
“I still have faith in the game”
Walker called the situation “sad.”
“I have tried very hard to support a party that puts people first, I still have faith in the party. But it is definitely a sad day for me and my family to be kicked out so abruptly,” he said.
Walker was elected to the provincial legislature in 2020 to represent the riding of Parksville-Qualicum on Vancouver Island. He was previously a councilor in Qualicum Beach.
He said it has always been his intention to run for at least a second term, but it is too early to say whether that will happen.
Neither Eby, nor anyone close to him, has charted a path that could lead to him being welcomed back into the caucus, he said.
“It will be entirely a decision for the prime minister and I have faith in whatever decision he makes on that,” he said.
Eby said he doesn’t believe what the caucus investigation found can be remedied by a training process for Walker, who will now serve in an independent position.
Walker said he has received many calls of support since news of his dismissal became public. He said no one has suggested that he resign.
“I’m going to take this opportunity now to be a little more public and more vocal about the challenges in my community that I wasn’t able to do while I was in caucus,” Walker said, noting the large number of people in his constituency without a doctor.
Eby called the situation “challenging” and said informing Walker that he was being removed “was not a happy day.”
He said every time an MLA is removed from caucus it is “an opportunity for review.”
“It is a big responsibility that we ask people to take on as MLAs, not only do they have to represent their communities, not only do they have to be up to date on policies and laws, and be able to defend them, but they are also employers. They have to run an office in their community and have direct obligations to their employees,” Eby said.
“And we’re also operating in a unionized environment with collective bargaining agreements, which adds a level of complexity for people who may not have been employers before.”
Eby said he can assure people traveling with Walker that a formal and thorough process was followed.
“As with any human resources process, we have an obligation to maintain privacy in such matters,” he said.
“And at the same time, Mr. Walker is a public official, accountable to the people of Parksville-Qualicum. I wish I could share more about this, but I can’t.”
