All members of Gordon Campbell's caucus and any potential future candidates should review the tape of the November 20th question period. Campbell let John Les, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, suffer for 20 minutes without offering one word to diminish his pain. Given his abandonment, the honourable thing for Les to do is to immediately resign before Campbell fires him, a fate that will probably be postponed until after adjournment of the fall legislative sitting on November 29th.

Les suffered the political equivalent of torture as the Opposition used twenty minutes of question period to ask Premier Campbell whether the Solicitor General has his confidence. The first three questions were posed by Carole James to Campbell, who ignored the questions and rambled on as if answering a different question.

Opposition House Leader Mike Farnworth summarized the criticism of Les when he said:

"I'd like to remind the Premier of some of the Solicitor General's flip-flops over the last 18 months or so."

"There has been the issue of home inspections: we don't need them; then we're going to look at them. There has been the flip-flop around Children and Families, the flip-flop around the British Columbia Lottery Corp. and the flip-flop around no additional resources for gangs. There has been the flip-flop around the issue of police amalgamation discussion, a flip-flop around the public inquiry into the Dziekanski case and the flip-flop around the issue of apologies."

"There is a litany of accounts. Hon. Speaker, let me add two more counts for the Premier to consider: The impounding of vehicles of those who would prey on sex trade workers. We proposed it. The Solicitor General opposed it, and a month later he flip-flopped and said: 'Well, maybe it would be something that we should do.'"

"On the issue of gang colours. He initially said he supported it. We proposed it. He then turned around and opposed it."

"The evidence is clear. This Solicitor General is out of touch. He doesn't get it. He doesn't feel it. He never has."

"My question to the Premier is clear: does the Premier have confidence in his Solicitor General?"

Campbell stayed glued to his seat, forcing Les to rise to his own defense.

Les has the opportunity to preserve some self-respect by promptly visiting the Premier, expressing his disappointment in being abandoned in question period, and announcing his resignation. By hanging on until he is fired, Les will make a bad situation worse as it will appear that he will take any amount of abuse to cling to his ministerial pay cheque for a few more days.