OTTAWA - The
Auditor General’s final report into the G20-G8 summit reveals a gross abuse of
the public purse, with overspending, overestimates of costs, lack of proper
approval processes, and misleading categorization of expenses.
“The Harper
government was clearly not diligent or transparent with public funds. The lack
of control is reminiscent of the sponsorship scandal,” said Green Leader
Elizabeth May. "It is very troubling. Where is the
accountability?"
Among the most
troubling figures is that Conservative MP Tony Clement’s riding received a
hefty reward of $50 million dollars, ten times more than previous summit
hosts. Mr. Clement has now been appointed President of the Treasury Board
Secretariat, in charge of preventing wasteful government spending. “This
whole situation does not give Canadians much faith in our government’s ability
to properly manage public monies,” said May.
Greens also
want to ensure that the financial scandal is not the only issue receiving
attention. The G20-G8 still requires an inquiry into the abuse of civil
liberties. "We must not allow the abuses to be swept under the carpet. We
need a full inquiry into the chain of command, the routine Charter violations,
how people (some pulled off commuter rail even before reaching Toronto) were
left in inadequate jails without access to legal counsel or a chance to call
family, for 24 hours. Protecting our rights as a country requires getting to
the bottom of what happened,” said May.
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Contact:
Kieran Green
Green Party Director
of Communications
613-614-4916
Kieran.green@greenparty.ca