Liberals say they will subpoena government if documents aren’t turned over
Posted Jun 8, 2010 02:18:03 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Nova Scotia Liberals are calling for the release of government documents which are being kept away from the province’s Auditor General.
Liberal MLA Keith Colwell is first planning to ask the public accounts committee to make the documents available so the Auditor General can audit the economic development department.
“But if that doesn’t work then we’ll be asking for subpoena to get the information for the Auditor General,” says Colwell. “We also want the premier to come forward and explain why the clerk was instructed not to get the information out.”
It might be tough to get support because the NDP holds a majority on the committee.
Colwell explains the Auditor General’s purpose is to hold government to account.
“So I would hope that they see the light and decide that they’ll support us,” says Colwell. “If they don’t support us it could really raise some serious questions about what is being hidden here.”
The NDP has said it plans to change the law first to allow it to release the documents, but Colwell calls that ‘smoke and mirrors’.
