I hope this past week was as eventful for you as it was for me.
When I picked politics as my profession, or rather it pick me, I knew that I would be classed with used car salesmen and traffic accident chasing attorneys. But I have always felt that this is a valued profession, one with sense of duty and responsibility for your constituents.
On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Auditor General Jacques Lapointe presented a scathing review of MLA expenses, more specifically the seeming lack of regulation when it came to certain expenses. A long list of excessive purchases came to light including 8000 dollar generators to 700 dollar expresso machines. Mind you all these items were deemed acceptable purchases, according to the regulations that are set by the all party Internal Economy Board and executed by MLAs and staff at the Speakers office. The AG was very clear that nothing was "illegal" and has not referred this to the RCMP for further investigation.
The public has every right to be outraged, and we as politicians need to apologize for this debacle. I do, and my expenses were fine. I did not receive any calls during the AGs audit, nor was I named in the letter from the AG to the speaker. But I still would like to apologize on behalf of my profession. If any of my constituents want to see my expenses, they just have to call, I would be happy to let them be seen.
We need to move forward on this one, retired MLA and Speaker Art Donahue has been tasked with a review of expense and to recommend regulations that would tighten expenses and make them more transparent. His report in due in July. There is no need to go back, heck look at the cost the would have to be borne by the AG's office to audit it further, actually I think you'd be startled at the cost of the first audit.
The next chapter in this will be today's press conference by the Premier. Dexter has been away for the last two weeks on vacation and is listed by Auditor General Jacques Lapointe's letter to the Speaker for the excessive purchase of a digital camera and a very expensive laptop.
Let's see what his spin will be today....
We need to move forward on this one, retired MLA and Speaker Art Donahue has been tasked with a review of expense and to recommend regulations that would tighten expenses and make them more transparent. His report in due in July. There is no need to go back, heck look at the cost the would have to be borne by the AG's office to audit it further, actually I think you'd be startled at the cost of the first audit.
The next chapter in this will be today's press conference by the Premier. Dexter has been away for the last two weeks on vacation and is listed by Auditor General Jacques Lapointe's letter to the Speaker for the excessive purchase of a digital camera and a very expensive laptop.
Let's see what his spin will be today....