A personal friend and political supporter of former Service Alberta minister Manmeet Bhullar has resigned from the board of the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council.
Andy Hayher, a Calgary lawyer, resigned Tuesday shortly after CBC News revealed he had been appointed to the arm’s length board by Bhullar.
Hayher told CBC News he had been considering resigning from the council’s board, before the appointments became a political issue, because of the conflicting demands of his law practice and his young family.
By Wednesday morning, the council had already removed Hayher’s photo from its website.
Hayher is listed as part of an online group that endorsed Bhullar’s candidacy in the 2008 election. He has also been publicly supportive of Bhullar on social media, even referring to the cabinet minister as a friend.
‘Very proud of my friend’
“Very proud of my friend (Manmeet Bhullar) and his new appt as Minister of Human Services,” Hayher tweeted in December 2013. “Tough file, but I am most certain he will do great!”
“Thanks buddy,” Bhullar replied.
Hayher confirmed on Wednesday he is a personal friend of Bhullar and a Tory party supporter.
In addition to Hayher, Bhullar also appointed two of his former University of Windsor law-school classmates – Calgary lawyers Lori Brienza and Harman Toor – to the council’s board.
This is the second resignation related to the council. On Tuesday, a senior investigator, resigned after CBC News revealed he had a side job with the Conservative party. Gordon Bull conducted the controversial investigation into bribery allegations against Edmonton-Ellerslie MLA Naresh Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj denies the allegations and Bull’s investigation effectively cleared him. But Bhardwaj’s rival for the nomination has complained about how Bull conducted the investigation.
Outside the legislature Tuesday, Bhullar angrily defended the appointment of his friend and former classmates, claiming the appointments made the board more diverse.
“They are all very capable, young smart lawyers from a diversity of backgrounds,” Bhullar said. “And I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked, Alberta is a pretty diverse place.
“Quite frankly, I am a bit surprised that some of you folks are asking about the credentials of such people and you are not asking about the credentials of other people,” Bhullar told CBC reporter John Archer. “And I really question people’s motivations behind that.”
Current Service Alberta Minister Stephen Khan also defended the appointments, saying all the candidates had been vetted.
