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Premier still hiding details on fibre-optic deal December 19, 2006 Opposition Leader Gerry Reid says he is disappointed that government has refused the Auditor General access to cabinet documents related to the recently announced fibre-optic deal. The premier has stated that the Auditor General (John Noseworthy) would have access to whatever documents he needed and would have the resources to carry out his investigation, but government has now refused access to this vital information. Earlier this fall, government announced a $15 million investment into a consortium of companies including Persona Communications and Rogers to build a fibre-optic link to Nova Scotia. Several representatives of those companies have close personal and business ties to the premier. No tender or request for proposals was ever called and government refused to provide any answers to questions posed in the House of Assembly. Government subsequently passed a motion on November 22nd calling on the Auditor General to do an investigation. That motion stated: ABe it resolved that the House of Assembly, in the spirit of openness and accountability, ask the Auditor General, an independent Officer of the House of Assembly, to investigate all the details and circumstances of the fibre optic deal.@ AThe premier=s refusal to allow the Auditor General access to cabinet documents related to the fibre-optic deal confirms my suspicions that something is being hidden,@ said Mr. Reid. AThe premier promised that the Auditor General would have access to whatever information and resources he needed to conduct his investigation. The motion passed in the House of Assembly stated that the Auditor General be asked to investigate all the details and circumstances of the deal. Mr. Noseworthy has since requested cabinet documentation as part of his review, but was denied. How is this open and accountable, and what is the premier trying to hide? AThis cabinet information would not be released publicly and would only be reviewed by the Auditor General. Obviously Mr. Noseworthy believed this information would have helped in his investigation or it wouldn=t have been requested. I fully believe the premier and his government are hiding something related to this deal. I question whether there are cabinet documents that even exist. If this project is so squeaky clean, as suggested by the premier and his ministers, why are they breaking their commitment and refusing the Auditor General access to this important information?@
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