News Release - November 21, 2009

VICTORIA - By appointing friends and insiders to the Energy Task Force, the BC Liberals have made it clear the initiative is about little more than justifying their plan to line the pockets of private power producers, say the Official Opposition.

"This move is clearly aimed at satisfying shareholders in private power corporations, not about meeting the concerns of British Columbians," said Juan de Fuca MLA and Opposition Critic John Horgan. "Many of the people appointed to the task force have a vested interest in promoting the sell-off of our rivers."

On Friday afternoon, the government announced its appointees to the task force, which is broken down into four working groups and is made up of a who's who of private power industry supporters.

"Some of the individuals on this task force will provide really useful perspectives and lend credibility to the project," Horgan said. "But for the most part, this is a hasty project clearly designed to forge ahead with Gordon Campbell's predetermined plans."

The task force will have until January 2010 to complete its work.

"It's absurd. This committee has two months - over the Christmas break - to come up with recommendations for the future of our electrical system," said Horgan.

"An overhaul of this magnitude should be carried out in a bi-partisan way. But this task force is made up largely of friends of the B.C. Liberals.  This is a recipe for failure."

Under the Liberal government, B.C. has had the worst rate of full-time job losses, the second-worst performing economy, and highest level of child poverty in the country.

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Media contact: Mike Lowe  250-886-706