NDP urges Opposition, Green Party to join push for public PNP inquiry
JIM DAY The Guardian
Island New Democrat Leader James Rodd stood on the steps of the Coles Building Wednesday calling on all opposition parties to push for a public inquiry into the operations of the immigrant investor component of the Provincial Nominee Program. Guardian photo by Heather Taweel
Island New Democrat Leader James Rodd is urging both the official Opposition and the Green Party to make a collective push for a public inquiry into the Provincial Nominee Program.
“We believe that a public inquiry is necessary so that Islanders can get to the bottom of what many believe to be a very smelly situation,” Rodd told reporters Wednesday at a news conference he called on the steps of the Coles Building in Charlottetown.
“The person on the street has a lot of questions and the Official Opposition isn’t going anywhere with the government. They seem to be stonewalled at every level.”
Over the past several weeks, the public accounts committee has been probing Auditor General Colin Younker’s report on his investigation into the controversial PNP, specifically operations of the immigrant investor component of the program. Younker’s findings point to a number of specific instances where he found rules were broken or sidestepped by PNP directors and other senior government officials.
Week after week, the Opposition Tory members on the committee try to get more information about the administration of this program. But efforts to get details are continually voted down by the Liberal majority on the committee.
Rodd says it is clear that the Liberal MLAs and cabinet ministers have been resisting calls for a public inquiry. He hopes a joint effort by three opposition parties will emphasize “the depth of concern” that Islanders from varying political stripes have about this matter.
“It’s incumbent on this government to get to the bottom of this PNP,” he said.
“There has been hundreds of millions of dollars that have been invested here in Prince Edward Island but there is also this idea that there is something else going on behind the scenes and really the ordinary Islander on Prince Edward Island is asking a lot of questions.”
Rodd believes that since the auditor general was bound by certain parameters in his investigation into the program, Younker did not look at all that was taking place with PNP.
“It seems as if there was no sorts of guidelines or restrictions or whatever,” said Rodd.
“It just seemed that whatever happened on a particular day happened.”
He noted that the Public Inquiries Act allows the cabinet to appoint a commissioner or a commission. He is suggesting, in the interest of transparency, that a commission of three credible individuals be created with the Liberals naming one commissioner, the Conservatives nominating a second and the chief justice of P.E.I. choosing the third commissioner.
Rodd says he hopes the Green Party and the Conservatives will join him Friday at a news conference to make a collective call for a public inquiry.
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Where have you been? from PEI writes: Dear Mr. Rodd Leader of the NDP Party,
Where have you been for the past 18 months?
Olive Crane and the PC Party have been calling on this Liberal government to conduct a public inquiry for over a year.
They have asked question after question in the Legislature.
They have asked question after question of the Auditor General at the Public Accounts committe.
It is fine and dandy that you came to to the PNP corruption dance a little bit late, but instead of trying to ride Olive Crane's coat tails, why don't you start doing some research on this issue?
Why don't you attend Public Accounts Committees?
Why don't you start questioning which Minister's benefited?
Strategy wise, I see where you are going, trying to take some credit, but seriously?
You are the one who should be asking to join Olive Crane in this quest to get to the bottom of this corruption and get the truth.
Keep digging Ms. Crane, you will get your answers some day.
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Chelle from PEI-NS writes: FANTASTIC ! Ms. Crane, The NDPand Green Partywork TOGETHER TO get
tanswers to PNP (scam)!
AMD, Olive You best be wanting TO work TOGTHER with the NDP & Green Party BECAUSE THIS I S what Is Best for ALL ISLANDERS.
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Behind The Plow from PEI writes: The View from Here....
James Rodd is to be commended...........He and his party can learn from this and do things differently and take the voters to where they are asking to go.......Honesty, Transparency, Integrity..........words long out of use by some our current elected MLA's and some inside beauracrats.............To many lame execuses in not taking this PNP issue into a Public Inquiry..........to many friends perhaps to hide ..........Cover up of the Highest Order and topped of by this Liberal One Term Government..........good riddance to those so lined up at the trough go look for jobs ( to those who are found out for who they really are ) where you can get your hands dirty by doing honest work.........not on the backs of PEI taxpayers!!!!
Remember this issue is not about the Liberals, Conservatives it is about those elected to serve those parties who took what was not theirs to take and now laugh at us the voters and taxpayers..........How can we say this????.........The fact of no answers to our repeated questions tells the story.............No more hiding bring it all out............
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seth from charlottetown, p writes: The conduct of PM Ghiz and his coterie of back room backhanders is going to force the Island to divide into two camps, honest folk and themselves. This is unfair to the base of the Liberal Party that has had no part in the secret money laundering. It would be a good thing if Liberal activists, ready to unseat in caucus those unwilling to allow transparency in the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars. Not only the opposition parties are disgusted with Ghiz. Let's hear from all the decent Liberals, believers in open government, on Friday too. I, for one, am unwilling to tar my neighbors who vote Liberal with the perfidy of the Ghiz Gang.
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James Mcgoo from Lakesdie, PEI writes: Keep the PNP issue in front of everyone. The current status represents how government works to avoid transparency and responsibility.
Leaders are elected to represent the voter’s values. The current behavior doesn't represent the values of the island or the people. Contact your local representatives and support an inquiry through the Public Inquiries Act. But, lets make certain before the commission is created it has the power to do a thorough investigation and the report will be published to the people.
We do not want another investigation restricted so as to report only selected data to selected members of government. However embarrassing or bad the final outcome may be, we need to know what happened. At the end of the day, the current members of government will leave office and all taxpayers will live with the results of this problem. It would be important to know how we got in this mess to avoid it in the future.
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terryh from stratford, PE writes: Are dissedent Libs welcome? Many of us oppose closed door governing and are upset that all this money is not being accounted for. Please don't equate the Ghiz mob witha all Liberals.
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bill from pei writes: just name the names Mr Rodd you and your party -same as all the parties-know the names
every politician is guilty of either not admitting they/theirs got the money or
of not telling the names they know who did receive the graft
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shurting from Charlottetown, PE writes: Not exactly Mr. Rodd...there has been $525 million come to PEI according to the AG. Seventy five percent of that went to the lawyers, accountants, intermediaries and head hunters in China and Dubai. That money did not make it to the provincial economy. There is not trace of it in the consolidated revenue funs of PEI. Of the remaining 25%, most of that went to liberla friendly businesses in Charlottetown. To say the PNP money went into the Island economy is dead wrong. Most of it is sitting in bank accounts somewhere and probably not on PEI.
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Quiet Observer from Charlottetown, PEI writes: Did Rodd and the NDP just wake up?
Olive Crane has been calling for a Public Inquiry into the PNP scandal for months now. Where has he been?
This is one of the reasons the NDP will never form a government on PEI.
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UpsetLib from Charlottetown, The Island writes: What is James Redd up to? is it a partisan thing? Liberals believe in honest government too even if, just like other parties, their leaders sometimes fall short. James Redd should be inviting Liberals, unconnected to and equally dismayed as he is, to join in. Honesty and tranparency is not a party issue. A Many hands make light labors attitude would make it easier to clean out the AuGhizean Stables.
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Red Nex from PEI writes: Mr Rodd, should be Commended for this step.
If there was nothing to hide, we would already have had a Public Inquiry.
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Old Tory from P.E.I. writes: The only way that this mess will ever be resolved is if Ghiz resigns as premier and immediately calls an election. The Progressive Conservative Party of P.E.I. is missing the boat here because they are not telling Islanders that a full fledged, open , no holds barred, public inquiry into the PNP debacle will be called the very day they take over power after the next provincial election. It also needs to be fully understood that criminal charges and jail terms are not off the table.There is serious election fodder here but the Charlottetown back room boys in the Tory party would rather waste time trying to figure out how to put the screws to Olive. Let's get with it Tory party, we the people want the Ghiz gang gone.
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Openness Wanter from Stratford, PEI writes: This is not an issue of the Opposiotion, Greens and dissatisfied liberals joing Rodd on this push.
It is an issue of Rodd finally joing Olive Crane and the Opposition on this issue.
Let's keep it clear here as to who has actually been leading this charge for over a year now. Not James come latelty Rodd. Olive Crane is the leader.
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run udown from Charlottetown, PEI writes: To all Liberals who say you are honest people or to those who do not wish to tarnish all Liberals because of the coruption of the Ghiz Gang, I am sorry but that disappointing young man is your provincial leader and the foremost Liberal in PEI.
This is going to get nasty and personal and be fought out by angry people road by road, street by street, and house by house.
I heard a few stories about people ripping up their Liberal Party memebrship cards. Take heed to this example.
Liberals, including federal MPs, take heed and do not think you wil be spared from criticism. If you continue to cover for Ghiz you will pay personal, social and political prices at every turn.
James Rodd should be commended for his action but his recommended solution of prominent PEI partisans is not the answer. PEI is too corrupt and interwoven to make that work.
And, as shurting is pointing out on this forum, James, you are not catching on the mystery of where all of this PNP cash may be right now. That is the real deception her and any inquiry must uncover every rock where that cash may be hidden.
I say two things. First, Liberals, disavow your loyalty to Ghiz. Secondly, demand action from your federal MPs. Those who do these things publicly are heroes at a crucial time in PEI history. The first Liberal MLA to bolt from the Ghiz pack and join the Opposition or serve as an independent will be re-lected and revered.
And, yes, send in letters to the Guardian. They have printed some good ones on PNP in the last few weeks.
I hate Tories and am still embarrased about my vote for Mulroney in 1984 but as many other posters have stated it is Olive Crane who has been fighting this scam from the start and I simply cannot deny the truth of that.
The Liberal brand on PEI is being destroyed drip by drip by drip.
The politics of this province are being shaken up and something new is going to emerge.
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IslandEye from Prince Edward Island writes: Where have you been, Where Have You Been?
Island New Democrats have been calling for a public inquiry on this matter for at least as long as the Conservatives. If you weren't aware of that, perhaps you should ask your local media why they haven't been covering that.
The new developments yesterday were the call for a united front between the three political parties -- which the Conservatives could have done first if they had been so inclined -- and the intiation of an electronic petition as the first step in a campaign to provide a vehicle to bring public pressure to bear on the Ghiz government.
And, please, let's not get caught up in petty games about who was asking who to join whom! Isn't it better to focus on everyday Islanders getting together to push for a public inquiry, regardless of whether or not they are Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, uninvolved in party politics -- or even disenchanted Liberals?
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IslandEye from Prince Edward Island writes: terryh from stratford is right to raise the issue of the many individual Liberals who are not pleased with the Ghiz administrations actiosn in th is mess. I know that such people exist.
But here's a challenge for such Liberals: 1 What are you doing to speak out about this matter and do so in a manner that identifies you publicly as a Liberal who supports a public inquiry? and 2. What are you doing within your party to make the responsible people accountable? For example, are you calling for the resignation of any Liberal MLA who doesn't publicly support a public inquiry?
The Liberal Party often claims to be democratic? If it is -- and if enough Liberal Party members push within their party for a public inquiry -- well, let's just see what happens!
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Yep right! from pe writes: Get the Green Partyu involved? that'll get the government's attention.
istill haven't seen an accounting for Polar Foods yet, and where the heck is that page out of Valerie Docherty's daytimer that them PCs were demanding through freedome of information.
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mister from pei writes: If they think this isnt going to come out then they better give their heads a good skake.They can stonewall this as long as they want.The only way they can do that though,is to remain a majority.Good luck with that.This government has been completely the opposite of what their mission mandate says they are.What are the chances of a re-election?What is the first order of business for any newly elected gov.?To air out in public the previous gov. mistakes,lies and cover-ups.The liberals did that when they took office,and it will hapen when they leave office...So,good luck in keeping this a secret,you can only do that a little while longer...And ps...there should be legislation that says a newly elected body of gov. that lied the way they did , with their b.s. campaign ,then we shouldnt have to let them stay in power.This gov. is destroying our economy.Time for change,time for change,sound familiar?When election times come around,we can repair the damage done and move on.
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Milton Steed from Charlottetown North, PEI writes: The best advice I have heard is for the PEI NDP Leader to encourage Jack Layton to bring up the PEI PNP scandal in the House of Commons in Ottawa, calling for a full publci inquiry.
Given the huge amounts of money involved, the international delicacy of 4500 outstanding PNP visas, the limited capacity of our small province to absorb associated liability and legal damages, and the already demonstrated and proven abuses and conflicts of interest by both politicians and public servants, this is clearly an issue for which Islanders need the federal government to intervene with a full public inquiry.
The Liberal stonewalling on PAC has led to a fully fledged institutional crisis in the PEI governmental system.
We are Islanders and we are also Canadian citizens. Ottawa should not allow us to be treated like this nor the name of our province and homeland to be stained around the world, along with the reputation of Canada for that matter.
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