It’s the easiest media story in the world: The government auditor issues a report slamming outrageously out-of-control provincial MLA expenses. Report the details, hound legislators for responses, demand release of more info, write screaming editorials. Repeat, for as many days as possible. I mean, why not?
But lost in the hoopla is context, and so an even bigger scandal is going almost unnoticed.
The words “corruption” and “Nova Scotian government” are perfectly interchangeable. Oldsters recount the not-so-distant days when party workers would distribute “rum and nylons” on election day, straight-up bribes for votes. And once in power, the parties—both the Liberals and the PCs—ran a house of graft that would shame Boss Tweed.
Stephen Kimber’s excellent short history of that corruption in these pages in 2006 is a worthy read (“Paying for Power,” tinyurl.com/NScorruption). “Companies wanting to do business with the government—from having their particular brand of booze stocked on liquor store shelves, to offering legal advice to crown corporations, to supplying the hamburger for the hash in local hospital cafeterias—knew they had to fork over a portion of the value of whatever they sold to their friendly Liberal fundraiser,” writes Kimber.
The Liberals raised at least $4 million in illegal bribes just during Gerald Regan’s years in office, 1970-78. It’s anyone’s guess, though, how much the PCs raised when they were in power—party fundraisers burned the records when the Mounties came calling.
Kimber makes the point that this corruption is by no means in the past. He recounts ongoing improper contributions from developers, and a Tory government lease of a warehouse for the liquor commission from a company owned by Tory insiders, costing taxpayers $1.3 million in uneeded expenses; that lease doesn’t expire until next year.
I’d add that the hundreds of millions of dollars sloshing through various government economic development schemes stink of bribes and kickbacks, and that the Freedom of Information law remains weak and unenforced, allowing government to hide who-knows-what continuing malfeasance behind a wall of secrecy.
In this context, the MLA expense scandal is small potatoes. That’s not to dismiss it; clearly, the scandal reflects an unbridled sense of entitlement and absolutely horrid judgement among our elected representatives. But, for the items detailed as improper or problematic in the MLA expense portion of auditor Jacques Lapointe’s report, we’re talking about “just” $73,527.
Compare that to another section in Lapointe’s report, his audit of $830 million in public-private partnership school arrangements entered into in 1998 and 1999. Lapointe suggests that taxpayers are losing as much as $52 million in value through the contracts, which went to three companies owned by a collection of politically connected developers: Ashford Investments, Nova Learning and Scotia Learning. That’s 723 times as much as was misspent by MLAs.
Even more worrying is that the contracts are so mismanaged that children are at risk. Lapointe found that P3 school employees were hired without child abuse or criminal registry checks, and did not have required CPR and first aid certification.
Lapointe’s report makes clear that the problems are endemic to the P3 program, and yet in 2008, Rodney MacDonald’s government hired a BC consultant to help expand the program. That company suggested P3 arrangements should be used for the building of two prisons, the twinning of Highway 104 and the establishment of an emergency radio system for first responders.
Planning for a privately built radio system continues apace. The Dexter government’s reduced plan for a single prison was judged too small for a private firm to be interested in. And the 104 project seems to be in a state of funding and planning limbo.
We need a clean break from this sordid political system. First and foremost, Darrell Dexter should unequivocally order all government agencies to abide by both the letter and the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act, and he should lead by mandating that it applies to MLA expenses. Next, he should cancel all planning for P3 contracts.
As for the media, they should now put 723 times the time and resources they’ve put into the MLA expense story into investigating the P3 story.
This article appears in Feb 11-17, 2010.
Now we know where the government money is going. Cameras. desks, computers, all the fun things an MLA needs. Now to fix it all up Brother Dexter in bringing in an EX MLA not unlike hiring a fox to guard the chickens.
I don’t think we should blame anything on the NDP, its all the Tories fault. I’m glad Darrel is going to the Olympics.
I think all MLAs should get pink Ipods, we waste too much money on healthcare and senior citizens.
It’s all the NDP’s fault. If they wouldn’t have been so self-righteous about raising MLA salaries, this cockamamie expense allowance system — designed as a back-door way to bump up salaries — would never have been created.
Meanwhile, back on the sane planet…
The P3 projects reeked of patronage when they were first implemented, I honestly shouldn’t think that surprises anyone.
Same goes with the spending. It has just fallen in the NDP’s lap.
We need to demand a public inquiry – to hell with recommendations – lets roll out the bills…pay up and we need to find a way that it does not happen again!
We can sit and blame every party for something as we have always done, since we have a long and sordid history of patronage and kickbacks. OR we can demand that the government become FULLY accountable to the taxpayers of this province; which as I recall was how it started out in the first place (thanks, Joseph Howe no pun intended).
When we are still supporting former premiers on pensions? When even city politicians get paid for NOT winning elections…Ccahhh-mon people… really… I mean REALLY!???
Perhaps a few hints to get started: IF you are an elected official and get arrested for being drunk…you lose YOUR SEAT, your salary and your expenses. IF you ever get charged with any criminal felony at all…you lose your seat. No second chances, we elected you as an upstanding citizen to represent the general public’s best interests and if you cannot do that or are unable to do that ..you lose YOUR SEAT etc.!
DEMAND and FOLLOW the paper trail. Provide original receipts for where the money went. OR perhaps pick one: high salary or expenses..not both.
P.S. We don’t need another expensive inquiry with consultants from Upper Canada or the US, we know who you are, what you are doing (did) and what we should/could be doing about it. Not much wonder Nova Scotians are disgusted with politicians and politics.
When MLAs resign and an election is called and then the MLA buys a new computer, that’s just theft, plain and simple. Where are the police? Why are charges not being preferred? Get the cheats and thieves out of office. Let the chips fall where they may even if we have to have a new election to fill the benches with honest amateurs.
While I won’t go and say “its the NDP’s fault” The trough of riches the MLA’s (of all Parties) stick their hands into & fill their pockets at our expense has been created over the years by the Tory’s & Liberals.
Not that I am defending the NDP…these guy’s wanted to be elected to power to give us CHANGE. To give us more open and accountable Government, but what they’re doing is business as usual. That I think is what pisses me off the most, you finally get your chance..you get a huge majority, so you could make the changes necessary…But oh,no Dexter & his NDP collegues are just the new big boy’s at the head of the trough.
Isay not only shouldn’t we allow them to raise taxes, all these untracked expenses ,ALL OF THEM, need to be struck down. Secondly all the waste that is prevelant through out our system, needs to be eliminated & Governments need to be held accountable, each & every MLA should be held accountable.
Anyone found to be blatently like we’re seeing now, or even knowingly acting in such a greedy manner, should be thrown out of the Government, given a life long ban of ever serving in any political office what so ever. Plus have any pension stripped from them.
Is Bruce Wark on vacation? No offence to Mr. Bousquet, but I fully expected a nice long rant from Mr. Wark on this issue!!
The spending was BEFORE the NDP took government. The only ones who look good are Steele & Estabrooks.
Dexter has us paying for his Law Society fees and a briefcase, go figure. Resign, let us have another election.
I nominate Kimber,Wark, Bousquet and Lowe to be an ad hoc Expenses Committee.
Rum and Nylons? All we ever received were infected blankets. Now we have Casinos!
JR Richmond
Rum and Nylons? All we ever received were infected blankets. Now we have Casinos! JR
All of this just reaffirms my love for Ron Paul… it’s Tea Party time here up north too.
A former cabinet minister, charged with and convicted of filing false expense claims, has been appointed to the Executive Council and given the priviledge of having “honourable” placed before his name. The Lieutenant Governor makes such appointments on the ADVICE and direction of the premier—Mr. DEXTER!–all while the present spending scandal is unravelling! Yet the media, who aggressively worked to oust the last premier (with the low method of throwing out constant occupational and cultural slights), has essentially let this remain under the radar while the present premier vacations and hopes that this issue will go away. People like Tim Bousquet and Stephen Kimber (a self-proclaimed NDP supporter), and seemingly the rest of NS “journalists” are being too easy on Dexter and this present shakey government. All parties are at fault and yes, spending and P3 arrangements of the now-distant past are not, in hindsight, something to be proud of. However, the present is what now counts. Do your job and grill Dexter like you would have MacDonald! The Dexter government has to answer to this NOW. It comes as absolute no surprise to me that Tim B. is trying to take the heat off him by looking to the past to divert attention from the NDP. Not until the eleventh paragraph of a fourteen paragraph piece was Dexter mentioned. ‘Nuff said. BTW before anyone jumps on me, I’m not a freakin’ Tory either!
Sounds like the NS govt is as corrupt as the BC govt. Appears when MLA’s get elected they think they can just spend spend spend as much as they can before they are voted out.
To think I was seriously thinking about moving back to NS from BC. LOL, Would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Would be a good idea when MLA’s are caught with their hand in the cookie jar they should be locked in stocks for the pleasure of the citizens they robbed. Maybe that would make some of them think before they get the taste of corruption.
Changing Political Parties in Canada is like Putting on Another Pair of Dirty Underwear.