At the outset, let me state that anyone knowledgeable of
how government operates will not be pleased with the Office of Auditor General
let alone his Report into the Humber Valley Paving (HVP) affair.
I have read the Report.
I am quite certain this is the stuff of Judicial Inquiries. One should be called forthwith.
How Premier Paul Davis responds to the findings will constitute
the standard of integrity that will mark his Office.
The A-G’s Report, despite its shortcomings, leaves little
doubt that the public purse was of secondary importance alongside the
Minister’s political imperatives in advance of Frank Coleman’s nomination for
the P.C. Leadership.
I cannot remember a time when a Cabinet Minister presided
over such evidence-based proof of an abuse of power. Though the Premier denied having been
informed in advance or that he was a party to the cancellation of the contract,
it bears remembering that Premier Marshall stated, following the revelations, he
believed Minister McGrath made the right decision. Perhaps, now the media will
stop eulogizing his short tenure and acknowledge his terrible lack of judgement.
We should all be grateful he is gone.
Still, questions remain which the quick
resignation of Nick McGrath do not resolve.
This Post should be entirely about the Minister and the
other parties who played supporting roles in an affair that stinks. Instead, my comments are directed towards the
Auditor General, the necessity for which, I find disconcerting. I am sure I will get back to the subject of
Nick McGrath later.
