8 e be S news@op.douglas.be.ca Trouble afoot in $tudent Society Office Manager fired over “disloyalty” Jim Chliboyko ver twenty years of employment came to an end on the morning of Monday, January 26, with the firing of Douglas College Student Society (DCSS) business manager Merrilyn Houlihan. According to a copy of Houlihan's dismissal letter, signed by DCSS President Jaimie McEvoy and Vice- President Internal Darryl Flasch, Houlihan was fired due to “insubordina- tion to [her] employer, failure to follow proper channels of communication and disloyalty to the Society.” The “insubor- dination” is apparently related to an accusation of financial impropriety against an executive member of the student society, an accusation which was levelled by Houlihan. The decision to fire Houlihan apparently took place over the weekend, over the course of a series of student society meetings. Douglas College president Susan Witter was informed after the decision was made, and Houlihan received notice on Monday Canadian Homan Sanaie When you hear news stories about Canadian senators, the public tends to picture an old man who is not qualified for the job, who only cares about making money, and never shows up to Senate meetings. When you meet Senator Raymond J. Perrault, though, you gain a new appreciation for how hard some senators actually work. Senator Perrault is not from Quebec, he was actually born in Burnaby. He graduated from John Oliver Secondary School in Vancouver, then went on to the University of British Columbia, where he majored in Economics and Political Science. In 1959, he became Leader of the Liberal Party in BC. He was first elected to the BC legislature in 1960; re-elected in 1963 and 1966. In 1968, Perrault was elected to the House of Commons in the Burnaby—Seymour riding. On October 1, 1973, Mr. Perrault was appointed to the Senate. August 1974, he was appointed Leader of the Senate and sworn to the Queen’s Privy Council. He was re-appointed as the Leader of the Senate in 1980. He was the Leader of the Senate until 1982. Raymond J. Perrault has had a lot of experience in politics; he is not one of those senators who shows up to the chamber once a year. He came to Douglas College on January 23 to talk with students who are taking Canadian Political Science. Brandishing a huge report about post-secondary education, Perrault read excerpts from it to the audience. The report, A Senate Report of Post-Secondary Education, was not morning. The DCSS’s letter states that the problem was not that Houlihan informed anybody, but who Houlihan told; Houlihan informed college administration before going to the student society Representative Commit- tee. This constituted not “following proper channels of communication,” according to the termination letter. Houlihan's actions had consequences beyond her own firing. By informing the college prior to informing the student society about the suspected financial irregularities, the accusation “placed in jeopardy the timely remittance of the membership dues of the Society.” In short, after being informed of any suspected chicanery, the college, according to the College and Institute Act, has the power to hold back the DCSS student fees they collected for the winter term, threatening the funds that the society needs for its day-to-day operation, In a memo Houlihan wrote, dated January 21, she claimed that over $6000 in cheques were cashed by “an executive member” of the society, “without any proper documentation or authoriza- tion.” The memo was sent to Terry Leonard (Director of Facilities), DC President Susan Witter, Ombudsperson Stephanie Williams and all DCSS staff. The Houlihan memo included a number of more specific charges. Also suspect was “another executive member [who] has received $1200 in duplicate honoraria,” along with “a loan of $2700 [which] was advanced in honoraria hours to an executive without any formal contract,” Houlihan wrote. Houlihan didn’t accuse anybody by name in the memo, but it appears she fingered at least two members of the DCSS executive. Houlihan not only contacted college administration about the irregularities, but New Westminster city police, as well. Speaking to VP Internal Darryl Flasch elicited nothing but “no comment,” but he did confirm that members of the DCSS were advised to not speak about the events of the weekend leading up to Houlihan's firing. Asked to specify what senator visits DC The senator goes to work for you mentioned in any of the major newspa- pers in BC. The media only reports on the negative aspects of the Senate, such as Senator Andrew Thompson who spends the majority of the year in Mexico, said Senator Perrault. Senator Perrault also believes that there should be Senate reform. He prefers the American system, which is distinguished by a Triple - E Senate: it is elected, there are an equal amount of seats to each state, and it is effective. Senator Perrault does not believe that the Senate should be abolished. His reasoning is that if there is no Senate, Ontario and Quebec will have more power than they already have. There one hundred and four senators in Canada; Ontario and Quebec have twenty-four each, while BC only has six. Senator Perrault thinks that the media is too harsh on the Senate. For instance, they take attendance in the Senate, but they do not have to take attendance in the House of Commons. As well, the media have written that the Senate is Wet cD HET Git merely a rubber stamp for the laws that the House of Commons bring to the Senate. In reality, they take a long look at the bill and change parts of it so the bill works better. Perrault’s views on separatists in Quebec are those of a federalist; he does not believe that Quebec should separate from Canada. Furthermore, he believes that having a referendum every five years should be illegal. He believes that we should not be dealing with this issue instructions Flasch was | given, he replied “it’s not a gag order, it’s a lawyer's directive.” Contacted late Tuesday, DCSS President Jaimie McEvoy clarified the reason for Houlihan’s dismissal was a meeting organized on January 20 by Houlihan and attended by Houlihan and several members of the college administration. McEvoy denies that Houlihan was fired for being a whistle-blower. As for the missing money which initiated the firing, “the only facts we know for sure is that we don’t have any facts,” said McEvoy. McEvoy also said that the week-old investigation being conducted by New Westminster City Police was now focused on one individual, a former DCSS member who had recently stepped down. According to McEvoy, the same person was now suspected of being solely responsible for the irregu- larities. every five years. His views on Pat Carney, the BC Senator who believes that BC should consider the option of separating from Canada, are that her views are narrowed, and that her suggestion was an attempt to build a political base. He also said, “She is a fine women, but this was not one of her finer moments.” He also told some ironic stories, like about when former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Preston A private auditor from Ernst & Young has also been called in to look at the suspect DCSS documents. Houlihan's firing didn’t sit well with all members of the DCSS, however. An ~ effort to impeach McEvoy, VP External Christa Peters, Maple Ridge VP Amanda Wheeler and UT representative Paul Rosha has been initiated. The reasons for impeachment are largely due to Houlihan's firing, but also include charges that the four failed to follow the bylaws of the society themselves. One ex-DCSS executive, however, thought there was more than just failed protocol behind Houlihan's firing. “The DCSS executive were being held accountable for their actions, and they didn't like that, they tried to get rid of her,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. Defending the DCSS’s decision to fire Houlihan, McEvoy wrote in a memo to DCSS Representatives that “there [are] those who believe they know the law better than lawyers and police.” The investigation is ongoing. Manning’s father, Ernest, as a senator. Preston thought this was the neatest thing, according to Perrault. Today, Preston Manning wants the Senate abolished. If you want a copy of A Senate Report of Post-Secondary Education, just email the Senator at perrault@direct.ca and give him your name and address so he can send you a copy. Or ask one of the political science teachers at the college. They may have a copy handy. @ =} Dh; 2:15-4:00 PM Robert Nicholls PhD. vs Douglas College | Philosophy Monday February 2, 1998 Third Floor Student Society Building Michael Horner, MA ity Western University osophy/Theology Sponsored by Douglas College Campus Crusade for Christ The Other Press January 28 1998 3