Finance Minister Gary Collins rushed back from Maui to deal with the crisis in his office only a day after he said his return wasn't necessary. Blaming the news media for his return, Collins said that he was back in BC to correct stories by providing what information he knows. He made matters worse by straining credibility with weak excuses on issues that have been thoroughly canvassed by the news media. He began by attempting to convince reporters that his office wasn't raided.

Anyone who has visited the office of the Minister of Finance knows that it is a suite. There is one sign on the door. Upon entering, you encounter clerical staff and a small waiting area. You then may be directed to the Minister's inner office or to the inner office of the Ministerial Assistant. Neither office is the storage space for files; those are kept in the clerical areas. The Ministerial Assistant doesn't own anything in the office; the files are government documents that are captured under the Document Retention Act. It defies credibility for Collins to rush back from Maui only to claim that the raid on his office wasn't really a raid on his personal desk within his suite.

The only other bit of information added by Collins was an attempt to minimize the role of his former Ministerial Assistant. The Minister must have missed the extensive news coverage which revealed all but Basi's dog's name. The papers reported that Collins' assistant was a major organizer within the BC Liberal party, that he could influence (if not determine) who won certain nomination fights, that he was a leader amongst Campbell's political staff in the legislature and that he had access and input to several major policy issues. When Collins denied those perceptions and downplayed Basi's role, he did nothing but hurt his own credibility.

No one who listened to Collins' "explanation" can believe he returned from Maui in order to give that performance. He made matters worse for the government by not providing new information so as to be credible. He left reporters wondering about the real reason for cutting his vacation short after spending just one full day in Maui.

It is beginning to look like Campbell may need a cabinet shuffle before the budget.