Premier panned for absences as MLA spending scandal festers
Posted Feb 16, 2010 04:57:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Opposition party leaders say the premier should be here in Nova Scotia to deal with the MLA expense scandal.
They say it’s a big problem that Darrell Dexter won’t be back in the province until some time next week.
Dexter is at the Olympics until Thursday after which he’s set to attend a governors’ and premiers’ meeting in Washington.
Liberal leader Stephen McNeil tells the Herald Nova Scotians are fuming about the MLA expense scandal and people across the province want answers.
But morning commuters in Sackville say they’re fine with getting their answers by phone, or when Dexter returns.
Keith says he doesn’t think it’s a problem that Dexter isn’t physically here.
“Can’t he be consulted over the phone?” he said. “Sure, you want him to be here, but he can’t be here, 24/7, seven days a week.”
Annette says coming home in the middle of the trip would be a waste.
“The Olympics is something that only comes to this country every so often and I think the province should be represented,” she said. “I think that’s important.”
The auditor general’s report came out nearly two weeks ago, days before the premier returned from a two-week long vacation on Monday.
Dexter then left for the Vancouver games on Thursday.
Interim PC leader Karen Casey tells the paper she thinks it’s fine to be in Vancouver to “wave the flag,” but she says the premier needs to get back here.
The premier’s chief of staff says Dexter is actually getting a lot of impromptu meetings with business leaders as a result of being in Vancouver. If he did come back, he’d get here just in time to turn around and leave for Washington.
