VICTORIA—An alleged and troubling kick-back scheme at commercial vehicle facilities revealed yesterday by Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon is a clear indictment of the Campbell government’s record on safety for B.C. farm workers, NDP Leader Carole James said today.

“This review shows us once again that the Campbell Liberals just can’t be trusted to keep British Columbians safe and get unsafe vehicles off the road,” said James. “Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon has clearly failed to ensure that these government-certified inspection sites were operating according to the rule of law, and he must be held responsible for that.”

An investigation by the Ministry of Transportation has revealed that more than one-third of government-certified inspection facilities may have accepted kickbacks in exchange for approving safety inspections for unsafe commercial transport vehicles. These facilities are also charged with inspecting worker transport vehicles, including vans used to transport farm workers.

“The Campbell government has stubbornly ignored these problems for years,” said Chuck Puchmayr, NDP Labour critic. “The government has known since 2003 that there were serious problems with farm worker vehicle safety. They completely ignored a coroner's report in 2003 that made key recommendations to protect lives. The Campbell government’s decision to cut back on vehicle inspections has had a high price.

“Today we are seeing the consequences of a government too stubborn to act – the corruption of our inspection system that puts workers and the public at risk,” said Puchmayr.

“The public deserves answers,” said James. “And they deserve accountability from the Minister and the Campbell government for the corruption of these safety standards. These are government sanctioned inspections. Minister Falcon needs to explain why his government was ignorant for so long and why they failed to act in 2003, putting lives at risk.”