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This reinforces the impression that the B.C. Liberal government was more closely aligned with the previous Conservative federal government than it is with the current federal Liberals

“It also raises the question as to whether all of these positions were to fill existing vacancies,” Travis said.

“My suspicion is that they are add-ons — that they moved staff around to bring in more individuals, which sends a bad message that a year out from the 2017 election, you are beefing up your publicly paid political staff.”

A government representative said on background that the hires were replacements to accommodate movement of existing staff between ministries, and that overall staffing levels and budgets have not increased.

Max Cameron, a professor of political science at UBC, said the wave of appointments raises an interesting question as to the political alignment of Christy Clark’s Liberal government, which is a coalition of federal Liberals and federal Conservatives.

“This reinforces the impression that the B.C. Liberal government was more closely aligned with the previous Conservative federal government than it is with the current federal Liberals,” Cameron said in an email, noting it is not the first time political staffers from the federal Conservatives have made their way to B.C.

In the run-up to the 2013 provincial election, several big-name federal Conservative operators, including Ken Boessenkool, Sarah MacIntyre and Dimitri Pantazopoulos, joined the Premier’s Office in varying roles, including chief of staff and principal secretary.

“The current exodus from Ottawa and Edmonton seems to be of greater magnitude,” said Cameron.