Premier says he held back documents until legislation put in place
Posted Jun 3, 2010 03:01:48 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There’s a slightly different story out of the Nova Scotia NDP government office today over why the Auditor General was barred access to the documents he’s looking for.
Wednesday Finance Minister Graham Steele said a clerk simply followed the letter of the law by not handing documents over to the Auditor General.
Steele says there was no political decision to withhold the documents, despite a specific request to the premier.
However now Premier Darrell Dexter says he read and acted on the letter.
“There was a process already underway so when I handed off the letter it was to say ‘there’s a process already under way, complete the process’,” says Dexter.
That process is apparently was to withhold the documents which government argues are protected under solicitor-client privilege.
“We want to get to the same place that the Auditor General wants to get,” says Dexter. “But I think in fairness we want to make sure that we also put in place the appropriate safeguards for government confidentiality.”
Changes to the Auditor General Act are said to clear up the matter. Those changes are due to be introduced in the fall.
