NDP says ‘no’ to transparency, seven times
Victoria: The NDP has rejected seven different BC Liberal motions that would provide transparency into how money is being spent by the Legislature.
“This committee is turning into a farce and the NDP is writing the script,” says Opposition House Leader Mary Polak. “It was the Speaker himself who raised the issue of potential financial misdeeds at the Legislature. For some reason, the NDP has repeatedly blocked British Columbians from learning the truth.
“The NDP is either colluding with the Speaker or being willfully blind. This committee is not a rubber stamp for the NDP and the Speaker to spend taxpayer money without any transparency. The public deserves to know what is happening, and we will continue to ask these questions.” Motions the NDP has voted against:
The Speaker detailing which items in the budget he believes are impacted by financial misdeeds
Retaining a qualified auditor to perform a forensic audit
Contacting the special prosecutor to ensure any audit doesn’t impact any investigation Asking the Auditor General to conduct an examination under Section 13 of the Auditor General Act
That no further staff, including consultants, be retained or hired by the Office of the Speaker without prior approval of the Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC)
That the Speaker immediately disclose the compensation paid to Wally Oppal to date, along with all written reports provided by Mr. Oppal, and that no more than $25,000 be provided in total compensation to Mr. Oppal without prior approval by LAMC
That the Speaker detail any ‘investigations’ or ‘reviews’ conducted by his office that are not the subject of explicit restrictions imposed by the Special Prosecutor(s) and the RCMP, and that the Speaker be required to confirm to the Auditor General and LAMC that no other officers of the Legislature have been or are currently being investigated.