Government Contempt for Independent Watchdogs?
Misrepresentation of FAO’s opinion further sign of Liberal contempt for independent watchdogs: NDP
QUEEN’S PARK, ON – Today, another of the province’s independent watchdogs has written to point out the Liberal Government’s disrespect for their office. This time, Financial Accountability Officer (FAO) Stephen LeClair, has written that Liberal MPP Arthur Potts misrepresented the FAO’s opinion in a committee meeting regarding the Government’s Cap and Trade bill.
“In the last year alone, every single independent officer of the Legislature has written formal letters in response to disrespect shown by this government, sometimes more than once,” said Peter Tabuns, NDP MPP for Toronto-Danforth. “This government clearly has a problem with independent watchdogs, and the watchdogs are fighting back. This is unprecedented in all my years as an MPP.”
On May 2, the NDP tabled multiple amendments that would strengthen the government’s new cap-and-trade bill, and included all of the FAO’s recommendations with respect to increasing the system’s transparency and accountability. Liberal members of the committee voted against these amendments, and further watered down the bill’s accountability provisions. Beaches East York MPP Arthur Potts said at the time, “from our discussions with the Financial Accountability Office, this is what they were looking for.”
However, according to the FAO himself, Mr. Potts had “misrepresented my opinion,” and the weakened amendment was “not consistent with what I recommended.” He further confirmed that the government had not had any meaningful discussions with the FAO about his recommendations.
“Once again, the government is all talk and no action when it comes to transparency and accountability – and to make things worse they’re willfully twisting the words of an independent watchdog to their own end,” said Tabuns, the Ontario NDP’s critic for energy, environment and climate change.
“Despite what Mr. Potts is claiming, the government will continue to deny the FAO access to crucial documents, just like it denied him access to Hydro One documents. If the government wants to boast about how it is transparent and accountable, then why is it denying the FAO access to these documents, and then lying about it?”
