Casey asking for consistency, calls Auditor General
posted:
May 20 2010Casey, Karen
Halifax – Progressive Conservative Leader, Karen Casey, respects Auditor General Jacques LaPointe’s position on not making public the names of the four former Members and one current Member whose files were turned over to the RCMP on May 12. She is, however, concerned that at least one Member has been privy to receiving information on his personal file from the Auditor General, while others have not.
On Tuesday morning during a media scrum, Pictou West MLA, Charlie Parker, was asked by reporters if he were under investigation. His response:
“I asked the Auditor General that specifically, and he said ‘no Mr. Speaker, you are not under investigation’.”
“Upon hearing the Member’s remarks, I contacted each of our PC MLAs who repeated that they have not been contacted by the Auditor General or the RCMP as part of the forensic audit,” said Casey. “But knowing that Mr. Parker had learned from the Auditor General that he was not under investigation, and no files related to his expenses were turned over to the RCMP, I contacted his office on Thursday morning.”
The Auditor General advised Casey that he would not provide the information requested, and that his “hands were tied.” He advised her to contact the RCMP, which she did and is now awaiting their response.
“In the meantime, the question is, why is one MLA receiving the information he has requested, and yet other current MLAs are left wondering?” said Casey. “I am not asking the Auditor General to release the names publicly. I am simply asking him to inform individual Members whether or not their file had been turned over to the RCMP the same as he did for Mr. Parker.”
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Michael Kydd
Public Relations Advisor
Office of the Leader - PC Caucus
902.424.4996 (o)
902.237.1965 (bb)
