BC Citizens for Public Power Demands Vancouver Province and Columnist Michael Smith Retract False and Defamatory Statements

BC Citizens for Public Power is demanding, through its legal counsel, that the Vancouver Province and columnist Michael Smyth retract false and defamatory statements about the organization that were published in today's newspaper or face legal action.

BC Citizens for Public Power is demanding, through its legal counsel, that the Vancouver Province and columnist Michael Smyth retract false and defamatory statements about the organization that were published in today's newspaper or face legal action.

Smyth's column falsely alleged that BC Citizens for Public Power was an "NDP front" and "funded by BC Fed" [BC Federation of Labour] as well as misrepresenting the organization's position in its efforts to fight the privatization of BC Hydro.

"More than 65,000 British Columbians from all political persuasions are supporting our class action lawsuit against the privatization of one-third of BC Hydro and we will not tolerate false and defamatory statements that this is a 'front' for any political party," says BC Citizens' executive director John Young. "When more than 85% of British Columbians polled oppose the BC Liberal sell off BC Hydro, it's clear that our support is across the board."

"BC Citizens is working with people as politically diverse as Bill Vander Zalm, the former Social Credit premier, BC Unity Party leader Chris Delaney, Adrienne Carr, leader of the Green Party, and former Liberal MLA Paul Nettleton, who was thrown out of the Liberal caucus for opposing Hydro privatization," Young said.

"We have also had the support of other prominent British Columbians such as David Suzuki, artist Robert Bateman, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell, Anglican Archbishop David Crawley, Diocese of Kootenay, and many others in our campaign to keep BC Hydro publicly-owned," Young said. "It is very misleading of Mr. Smyth and the Province to claim otherwise in response to a BC Liberal MLA's complaint."

Young said Smyth's column is damaging to BC Citizens' ability to pursue its legal challenge in BC Supreme Court against the transfer of one-third of BC Hydro to Bermuda-based Accenture and its other advocacy work on BC Hydro issues.

Young said the overwhelming majority of funding for BC Citizens is coming from more than 12,000 individual donors and that funds received from the BC Federation of Labour when the organization was started represents a tiny fraction of overall financial support.

"We are pleased to have the support of trade unions, environmental groups, small business owners, ordinary citizens and yes, even Liberal Party voters who feel betrayed by this government on BC Hydro," Young said. "The real story is that the Liberals are frightened by our success and the fact that we have contacted almost half a million British Columbians to date in our fight to save BC Hydro."