House spending watchdog plans public hearings

The house of assemblys legislative spending watchdog expects to do something this summer it hasnt done since 2006hold a public meeting.

The chair, Liberal MHA Jim Bennett, says the public accounts committee plans to begin hearings by the end of August.

The legislative watchdog has recently been jolted to life after a long period of inactivity.

CBC News reported in February thatthe province had ignored a key recommendation of the Green Reportthe judicial review commissioned in the wake of the house of assembly spending scandalto beef up the committees role.

As of February, there had been no public meetings of the PAC in six years, and just one private meeting in the preceeding 15 months.

Over that time frame, one government MHA received more than $10,000 for attending just one in-camera meeting.

Last month, the public accounts committee was briefed for three hours by the auditor general and his staff. The PAC met again this past week to decide what topics it will begin to review.

According to a press release, the committee selected seven public entities for further scutiny.

Those agencies will now be contacted to "supply documents, details and explanations in response to the auditor generals report," the press release noted.

The PAC will then determine whether officials will be asked to appear before the committee.

Bennett says public hearings should happen by the end of the summer.

And he says the PAC could take its show on the road, to areas outside the St. Johns region.

In his sweeping review of the legislature in 2007, Chief Justice Derek Green wrote he was "convinced" that an active PAC could play "an important oversight role in relation to the financial affairs of the legislature."

The chief justice made a three-pronged recommendation about the PAC in his report, advocating for the committee to regularly investigate issues highlighted in reports by the auditor general, and cast a critical eye on the financial statements of the house of assembly.

He said he was hopeful that "the PAC may develop a more active and constructive role as a government spending watchdog."

But his recommendations were largely ignored.