Gordon Wilson says B.C. premier's attack on his character turned him into a 'pariah'

Former B.C. Liberal leader Gordon Wilson says his $5-million libel lawsuit against Premier John Horgan and others will cost taxpayers millions in legal fees, if it goes to trial.

In the meantime, Wilson says he's still living with the "sting" despite apologies and retractions. He's hoping to settle a civil action claiming comments made about him turned him into a 'pariah' after years of public service.

Wilson's filed his civil suit in August 2017 over comments newly elected Premier Horgan and cabinet minister Bruce Ralston allegedly made in the media slamming the job performance of Wilson, the former advocate for B.C.'s liquefied natural gas program.

Horgan apologized

Both Horgan and Ralston apologized for the comments, but Wilson says, by then, the damage had been done.

"The allegation[s] really spoke to the very core of who I am. To suggest that I bilked the taxpayer … that I had essentially just been cashing cheques was unbelievably damaging to my reputation. It's not who I am," Wilson said outside the Vancouver courtroom on Monday.

Wilson was fired in 2017, as the NDP took power.

After that, the civil suit says, Wilson was defamed at least 10 times in various media by the new premier and others.

Horgan allegedly told media that Wilson produced "no reports, no briefings and no memorandum," despite making $150,000 a year.

Like a 'pariah'

Wilson said public records show that he filed more than 180 pages of reports in his first 15 months in the job.

He believes the comments he describes as politically-motivated went too far.

"I'm like a pariah … trying to get work now. People see me as an enemy of the state," he said.

The libel lawsuit has been embroiled in procedural wrangling for 16 months.

On Monday B.C. Supreme Court Justice George Macintosh urged all parties to set a date for the 10-week trial in the first few months of 2020.

Past attempts at mediation have failed.

Wilson said a trial would cost B.C. taxpayers millions, with both Horgan and Ralston's top lawyers paid for by the province.

Delays blamed on Wilson

In a response to Wilson's latest application to the court, a response from Horgan's lawyers said that many of Wilson's allegations were "unnecessary, frivolous and vexatious," causing delays and confusion.

On Monday, Wilson's lawyer moved to add yet another allegation.

Ian Fleming told the judge he wants to level the tort of misfeasance of public office against Horgan and others.

A tort is a wrongful act or infringement of rights under civil law.

'Amplify the sting'

"We claim they misused the power of their new offices ... to amplify the sting of what they were saying," Fleming told court.

"It's remarkable that a new premier would use his new office to sting a public service employee," said Fleming.

Misfeasance of public office is an aged tort, used in an 1959 case involving Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis but more common in cases against lower public officials or police.

Macintosh said this was a serious allegation and the other parties would need time to respond.

If the matter does end up at trial, Wilson predicts legal costs could approach totals seen in the notorious B.C. Rail corruption case in which two government insiders pleaded guilty to charges in return for government paying their $6-million legal bill.

So far, no tally of the province's legal bills on this case has been made public.

A request for comment to Horgan and the attorney general was declined because the matter is before the courts.