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Eddie Joyce, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) and MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, says he is extremely
frustrated with the Progressive Conservative (PC) Members of the PAC as they
rejected a request to call in the Auditor General and hold public hearings
into the recently signed fibre-optic deal.
The PAC has the authority to hold public hearings and
subpoena individuals to appear before the committee for questioning. This
would allow members of the PAC to directly question people involved with the
file and receive pertinent documentation related to the issue. The PAC also
has the authority to request the Auditor General to review a file and
examine documentation, however, he does not have the authority to subpoena
individuals to testify regarding this issue. The motion presented this
afternoon called for public hearings and the Auditor General to investigate
the fibre-optic deal.
AI
am disappointed that the PC Members of the PAC have refused our request to
have all information related to the fibre-optic deal made public,@
said Mr. Joyce. AIf
there is nothing to hide and the expenditure of $15 million of public funds
to friends and business associates of the premier is clean as a whistle, I
cannot understand why PC members are so sensitive to releasing this
information. Gauging the reaction at this afternoon=s
meeting, it certainly appears that PC members are nervous about what might
come out through public hearings.
AThere
are many questions that need to be answered. I feel the time has come to
call all affected parties before the committee to hear their testimony on
this issue. Having public hearings and asking the Auditor General to review
all of the information would have presented all sides of the story and the
people of the province could then make up their own minds. The premier
stated last night that he had no problem with releasing this information for
scrutiny, I cannot understand why his colleagues refused to support his
stand.
AUnfortunately,
with the refusal of the PC members to allow public hearings and invite the
Auditor General to investigate, the deal smells even worse and the truth is
even more elusive.@
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