Parties weigh in on auditor general's 'underfunded' claim

Members of New Brunswick's political partiesare weighing in ontheauditor general's claim that her office is chronically underfunded.

In a report released this week, the auditor general's office suggested that the funds her office receives are insufficient given the size of government and its operations

"Currently, I am effectively impeded from fulfilling the mandate of the office," said Kim MacPherson.

In her report, MacPherson stated her budget of $2.3 million is the second smallest in Canada, meaning several departments and Crown corporations, including new ones like CannabisNB, cannot be audited.

While government operations havedoubled in the last 20 years, she saidher budget has not kept up.

And while MacPherson and former auditor generals have requested increased funds, the report states that "chronic underfunding of the [auditor general] office has reached a critical point."

"Her budget needs to be brought up to the new reality," said Jean-Maurice Landry, the NDPcandidate in Bathurst East -Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore.

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Not only does New Brunswicks Auditor General say the provinces fiscal situation is dangerous and that a government escape plan doesnt exist, she says her office doesnt even have the funding to do its job properly.

Only $2.08 from each citizen's taxes goes towardfunding the New Brunswick office, the report claims, compared to $4.06 per citizen the Nova Scotia auditor general receives.

"It needs to come up, in a comparative way to Nova Scotia's," Green Party leader David Coon said. "She needs an extra $1 million over the next four years. That's what she's asked for."

People's Alliance leader Kris Austin, said that whatever money taxpayers invest in MacPherson'soffice, the savings will be greater once she makes recommendations on how to reduce government inefficiencies.

"It's just a shame that both Liberal and Conservative governments have chosen to starve her out," Austin said.

Liberals take issue with claims

Roger Melanson, president of the treasury board for the Liberal government pushed back against these claims andtook issue with the idea that the current government had "starved" MacPherson's office.

"If you look at the last four years, compared to the four years before, we actually did increase the budget for the auditor general," he said.

He said in the last budget, the auditor general was given an extra $125,000 in funding.

While that's far from the $1 million MacPhersonrequested, he said his government is trying to prevent a more rapid increase in New Brunswick's debt and all departments will need to temper expectations.

Meanwhile,BlaineHiggs, leader of theOpposition,told reporterson Tuesdaythat if he is elected premier, he would giveMacPhersonthe annual increases of$250,000 per year over four years that she is asking for.

"Yes, I will do that. ... I recognize she needs more,"Higgssaid."If the opportunity presents itself, we're going to put an end to thatto her being in a position where she can't do her job."

When the conservatives were in office, he said they made a 16 per cent increase in funding to the auditor general over a four year period.

"We also updated her act,which hasn't been done since the mid '80s, to give her more visibility into absolutely what the government was doing and to make it transparent,"Higgssaid.

According to the report, while government operations the office is responsible for auditing havegrown by $5 billion, "the [auditor general's] budget has only grown by $500,000."

Those figures came with a warning.

"New Brunswickers should be concerned because if my office is not being funded to hold government to account, there is virtually no other entity (outside the justice system) with the same authority to compel government for evidence and explanations," MacPherson wrote.