Klein volunteers do gov't business; Election strategy committee includes public servant and advertising executives; ALBERTA ELECTION

'97
The Edmonton Journal Sat Feb 22 1997 Page: A4 Section: Alberta Byline: JACK DANYLCHUK; CHARLES RUSNELL, Journal Staff Writers Dateline: Edmonton Source: THE EDMONTON JOURNAL

Volunteers working to re-elect Premier Ralph Klein include a high-ranking public servant and executives of communications companies that do government business. Despite the close connection between their businesses, careers and volunteer efforts, there is no conflict of interest and there should be no public perception of conflicting interest, say members of the volunteer communications strategy committee. ``I am not doing any work other than on my own time,'' said Gerry Bourdeau, director of the Public Affairs Bureau, the agency responsible for co-ordinating all Alberta government communications. A committee member since before the 1993 election, Bourdeau helped develop and execute the current Conservative media campaign that has placed the premier's face in newspaper ads and on billboards across the province. Kevin Taft, author of the best-selling book Shredding the Public Interest, said in an interview that Bourdeau's presence on the party committee supports his contention that the Public Affairs Bureau has become the Conservative party's ``marketing department'' under Klein. In his book, Taft writes: ``Paid for by the taxpayer, its function is to sell the Progressive Conservative government to the voter. Its staff defend, deflect and deny criticism. They work to gain sympathetic coverage from the media. They counsel cabinet ministers and department staff on what is

politically acceptable to say.'' Bureau employees are civil servants and are supposed to be non-partisan, providing the public with objective information about the government and its programs. But several bureau spokespersons sometimes make public political statements for ministers. Bourdeau, who reports directly to Klein, rejected Taft's view that the bureau has become enmeshed in party politics. He declined to elaborate because he has not read Taft's book. ``What I'm doing on my personal time is my personal business,'' said Bourdeau, who has not taken a leave of absence from his post.``The code of ethics of the government is very clear on that. You can do it. ``Public servants have the ability to work on party campaigns as they see fit on their own time. The rules are very plain. ``If they expect to do any work on government time they have to take a leave.'' The Conservative communications committee regularly meets to plan and carry out the party's media strategy during the election. Chaired by Brian Stecyk, president of Rose Country Communications, the committee includes Jim Dau, the premier's communications director, Barry Styles, president of Highwood Communications, Derek Coke-Kerr, head of an Edmonton advertising agency, and Jim Ford, a retired ad agency executive. ``I do so little work for the government I don't think there's any (conflict of interest),'' said Stecyk, whose company was paid $15,775 for government work in 1995-96. Stecyk was in the news earlier this week when it was revealed he had authored a pamphlet on health care that is being distributed by several Conservative candidates. They claimed it was independently produced. Liberals characterized the pamphlet, which contain a number of assertions that mirror official Tory policy, as ``simplistic and slanted.'' Stecyk said he did not produce the pamphlet as campaign material. He decided that a ``plain-talk'' explanation of health-care changes was needed. He had hoped to sell the pamphlet to health authorities but some Tory candidates bought copies.

Highwood won a competition last year to buy media space for all government departments. The Calgary-based company did $110,147 in business with the province in 1995-96, according to public accounts. Styles and Coke-Kerr rejected any suggestion that the public may see a conflict of interest in their dual roles as Conservative volunteers and owners of companies that do a similar kind of business with government departments. ``I don't see it as a conflict of interest,'' said Coke-Kerr, whose company did no business with the government in 1995-96. ``I'd be hard pressed to name an advertising agency that doesn't do business with the government.'' Styles said he was a member of the Tory communications committee before the last election and, ``long before we won any business from the government.'' He said his volunteer work on the committee should not be seen as a way of priming the pump for his own business. ``Those people who know how strict the competition was would know that was not the case,'' Styles said in reference to winning the contract to buy media space for government departments. ``Any business we have received, we got in straight competition with other agencies.'' The public affairs bureau handles media and advertising business for all government departments, but Styles said he does not have regular business contact with Bourdeau.