Last week’s
meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which did little more than allow
a few questions to be raised about the Humber Valley Paving affair (HVP), featured
former Transportation and Works Minister, Nick McGrath, the Clerk of the
Executive Council, Julia Mullaley, and the former Deputy Minister of
Transportation and Works, Brent Meade.
Following their
testimony, the public might have been left with the impression the claim, by
Premier Tom Marshall, that he was not informed of the Minister’s intention to
cancel the HVP contract, was all one big misunderstanding.
We are left to consider that the unwarranted assumption by Meade was just an error; that we should not consider if he was providing a fig leaf to Premier Marshall, or whether senior public servants have rules for protecting themselves against arrant Ministers.
We are left to consider that the unwarranted assumption by Meade was just an error; that we should not consider if he was providing a fig leaf to Premier Marshall, or whether senior public servants have rules for protecting themselves against arrant Ministers.
I suggest
you not make any such assumptions.
