A businessman who has been a vocal critic of the Ghiz government’s handling of the Provincial Nominee Program has written a book.
Entitled “Red Like Me, How P.E.I. Liberals Stole 500 Million Dollars from Canada,” Rob McEachern details his own dealings with the program and his perspective of the way the PNP was run.
He admits it is a controversial book and makes no apologies for its provocative title.
“There’s a lot interesting information that helps connect the dots for people because the story has come out in little dribs and drabs over four years and people are not clear on it,” McEachern told reporters Tuesday.
“This doesn’t answer all the questions but it sure connects the dots.”
McEachern made headlines in May of 2009, first when he was ejected from the P.E.I. legislature for shouting at MLAs from the public gallery, then later the same month when then-Tory MLA Mike Currie was charged with assaulting him.
It was alleged Currie grabbed McEachern in the face and the chest after he asked whether Currie’s wife had benefited from the Provincial Nominee Program.
MacEachern had been spending his afternoons taunting the MLAs as they walked into the legislature each day for the daily proceedings.
Currie pleaded guilty, publicly apologized and was granted an absolute discharge in provincial court, leaving him with no criminal record.
McEachern, meanwhile, left P.E.I. for several months but returned this week to bring his book to the Island.
“There’s a lot interesting information that helps connect the dots for people because the story has come out in little dribs and drabs over four years and people are not clear on it,” - Rob McEachern
Standing in the rain in front of the now closed Holman Grand hotel in Charlottetown Tuesday, McEachern handed out copies of his 180-page book to reporters.
The book includes a list of companies that received immigrant investments with names of shareholders and directors attached.
This information was taken from local web developer Peter Rukavina’s website, which was compiled from data that was scraped from the provincial government website in 2008. It is not up-to-date and is missing numerous companies from the list released by the province last month.
McEachern’s book also includes explosive allegations of theft and bribery within the Ghiz government and the P.E.I. Liberal party involving the PNP as well as colourful descriptions of events involving local politicians that played out in the media.
McEachern says he is not concerned about liability with his title or the allegations he makes within his book.
“Not at all, I think it’s fact,” he said.
“I think the whole book verifies the whole program was about stealing, it was about misleading the people.”
He says he believes a public inquiry should be launched to investigate P.E.I.’s Provincial Nominee Program.
twright@theguardian.pe.ca
Twitter.com/GuardianTeresa
You're wrong, Wayne - we're a potato republic!!