PE: Silencing accusations hover over PNP probe

[CHARLOTTETOWN, PE] — Opposition leader Olive Crane wants the auditor general to be allowed to give more information on his probe into the PNP, but feels the government is trying to keep controversial details quiet.

For the last few weeks, Crane and Opposition member Jim Bagnall have been trying to uncover more details of Auditor General Colin Younker’s findings from his investigation into the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The PNP was a federal-provincial program in which immigrants invested in local companies in exchange for a Canadian visa. It was aimed at improving immigration into the province.

The auditor general investigated the program and found widespread problems with the way it was administered — especially in its final six months when 1,877 PNP applications were processed in a rush before the federal government changed its rules on September 2, 2008.

In his report, Younker points to a number of specific instances where he found rules were broken or sidestepped by PNP directors and other senior government officials. He found that more current MLAs and their spouses or family members have accessed the program than the three that have already admitted to doing so. He found instances where some businesses were given as many as 12 investment units, valued at approximately $650,000, at a time when there was a four-unit limit.

The public and the media have been asking questions about the details of this program and many have put in requests through Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FoIPP) legislation. But government maintains privacy laws prohibit the publication of names of people and businesses involved in the PNP.

The public accounts committee, however, has the jurisdiction to ask the auditor general for that information. Younker has told the committee he will tell them what he knows, but it must be a “committee decision,” meaning the request must be sanctioned by the whole committee.

For the last few weeks, the opposition has been asking for details about involvement of cabinet ministers, MLAs and their family members, deputy ministers and senior government officials in the program. Crane and Bagnall have been trying to get the names of the businesses that benefited greatly from rules being broken by administrators. But the Liberal majority on the committee has repeatedly voted down opposition requests for this information.

Bagnall has charged that the premier’s office has given direction to his MLAs on the committee to block any attempts at uncovering any controversial PNP details.

Crane has been calling for a public inquiry on the PNP, but an inquiry must be called by the premier. Premier Robert Ghiz has said he will not call for one.

This is why Crane wants the auditor general to be allowed to answer more questions at public accounts. She said she believes the truth that lies in all the details must come out in the interest of public trust.

“He’s not partisan and he’s sitting there with the information from the files he audited and if he brings it out at public accounts, we have the chance to deal with whatever is wrong and hold government accountable,” Crane said.

“I’m convinced that until we actually deal with all the issues in the Provincial Nominee Program, nothing’s going to change.”

Crane said she is not afraid of information that might make her own party look bad in its dealings with the program under the former Pat Binns administration.

The Guardian attempted to contact Ghiz for comment on this story, but was told he was out of the province and could not take the call.