Canadian Press
Sunday, January 12 – Online Edition, Posted at 8:50 PM EST
Vancouver — A tearful, contrite B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said Sunday he won't resign after being charged with drunk driving in Hawaii. Mr. Campbell said he owed his family and British Columbians an apology and would have to work to re-earn their trust and respect. "Words cannot begin to convey the remorse and profound regret I feel for my actions," Mr. Campbell, his wife Nancy by his side, told a packed news conference. "How could I have been so stupid? There are no simple answers. I made a terrible, terrible mistake."
Mr. Campbell described himself as a social drinker but said he will seek professional advice to determine whether he has an alcohol problem. "I will not drink again," he said. Mr. Campbell said he has experienced the consequences of excessive drinking in his own family. His father, an alcoholic, committed suicide when Mr. Campbell was 13. "And that is what makes my actions in this instance all the more disturbing and disappointing, for myself and for those who know me," Mr. Campbell said. Mr. Campbell was asked if he had considered resigning over the charge. "I have considered everything in the last 60 hours," the Premier said. "Clearly there will be some political damage." Mr. Campbell was asked how he could justify staying on as Premier when he has always taken a hard line where opposition politicians are concerned. "This took place on my personal vacation," he said. "As you know there have been people in the past who have been found to have a conflict of interest that is directly related to their place in office." He said he doesn't believe he has ever broken B.C. drinking driving laws. Rick Thorpe, Competition, Science and Enterprise Minister, said Mr. Campbell showed leadership by publicly admitting his mistake and taking responsibility. "I had tears in my eyes as I watched on TV," Mr. Thorpe said. "The Premier did what a leader had to do, what a person of character had to do. He acknowledged his personal misjudgment, his mistake." But NDP Leader Joy MacPhail said Mr. Campbell should quit. "I am completely perplexed by Mr. Campbell's defence it was on his private time," she said. "I have never ever believed public officials are allowed to distinguish between public and private time when it comes to breaking the law." Mr. Campbell explained he had been at a friend's home in Maui for dinner and drank wine and martinis for part of the evening before he drove home alone early Friday. He said he was pulled over by police and given a roadside blood alcohol test. Mr. Campbell said he won't fight the charge. His actions "could have had tragic consequences," he said. Before he returned to Canada, Mr. Campbell issued a public apology over his actions. Mr. Campbell said he would meet with the Liberal caucus Thursday "to apologize to them personally for my misjudgment." Earlier Sunday, the caucus issued a statement of support for Mr. Campbell, urging him to continue serving as Premier. "B.C. Liberal MLAs wish to express their strong support for Gordon Campbell and call on him to continue in his responsibilities to lead the province as premier," said the statement signed by caucus chairman John Les and caucus whip Kevin Krueger. The caucus bluntly stated it does not take the offence of drinking and driving lightly, but Mr. Campbell, who turned 55 on Sunday, should not resign. "This is an isolated personal mistake that should not wipe out the premier's 18 years of dedication and commitment to public life in British Columbia," said the statement. "He has spent his career working for the benefit of his community and the province, and we remain committed to moving British Columbia forward with Gordon Campbell as our leader." The Liberals won a huge majority over the NDP in the last election, taking 77 of 79 seats. The next election won't be held until May 2005. After his arrest, Mr. Campbell's mug shot photos were published across Canada and in Hawaii, and entrepreneurs have already started to market T-shirts, coffee mugs and tote bags emblazoned with the premier's arrest pictures. The charge carries a maximum $1,000 fine or five-day jail term. Professor Norman Ruff, a University of Victoria expert on B.C. politics, said the caucus statement is a predictable show of faith in the party leader. "Circling the wagons is the classic and best strategy for them," he said. "The first instinct is to rally around the leader." But Prof. Ruff said Mr. Campbell's political future rests with the public who will decide if they can support a such leader. "Ultimately, the judge and jury will be the [B.C.] public," he said. "Everything depends on how much slack the public wants to cut for him." Drivers in Hawaii face charges of driving under the influence when they are suspected of driving with a blood-alcohol concentration level above .08 per cent. Last November, Defence Minister John McCallum vowed to stop drinking after he was prevented from boarding an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Ottawa. And in December 2001, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said he would attempt to beat his 30-year drinking problem after an alcohol-fuelled tussle at an Edmonton shelter for homeless men.
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