Liberals restrict fiscal watchdog’s power to review cap-and-trade

Financial Accountability Officer unable to access documents related to slush fund  

QUEEN’S PARK –The Liberals are restricting the Financial Accountability Officer’s power to investigate their cap-and-trade slush fund by hiding behind the cloak of cabinet secrecy, says Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce and Ontario PC Environment and Cap-and-Trade Critic. 

“Yesterday, the Financial Accountability Officer testified before committee that he is ‘becoming increasingly concerned’ with this government’s lack of transparency,” Thompson said in Question Period today. “He reported that he would ‘likely be unable to access’ government documents that detail projects receiving money from the Liberals’ cap-and-trade slush fund.”

Under Bill 172, the Environment Minister has the discretion to pay out cap-and-trade funds for whichever “initiative” he wants. The bill does require the Minister to develop “an evaluation of the initiative” and submit it to the Treasury Board. However, the Financial Accountability Officer has warned that the government will subject those reviews to cabinet confidentiality, so that they can be withheld from the public.

“With this government’s record of scandal and secret fundraisers, we know the Liberals cannot be trusted with such a secretive scheme,” Thompson said. “Every single project review must be made public to prevent slush-fund pay-outs in exchange for political favours.”

The Liberals plan to raise $1.9 billion in new revenue from cap-and-trade by forcing Ontarians to pay a new tax on gasoline and home-heating, which long-term estimates show will cost taxpayers nearly $900 more every year.