All of the MLAs are in conflict of interest said Ghiz

In a repeat of her Friday heat from last week, Opposition Leader Olive Crane got detailed and pointed on what was wrong with the Provincial Nominee Program. MLA Bush Dumville got preferential treatment. The Premier’s cousin Billy Dow a lawyer was in conflict of interest on the file.

Bush Dumville MLA and owner of 2 Burger King Restaurants

Olive Crane asked pointed questions about preferential treatment of Liberal MLA Bush Dumville in today’s Question Period of the PEI Legislature.

In a series of questions that flummoxed Innovation Minister Alan Campbell, Crane revealed that Bush Dumville MLA for West Royalty had received 2 units for his Charlottetown Burger King restaurant and 2 units for his Summerside operation.

The rules said restaurants could only get PNP funds for expansion, which by the rules meant for new equipment or buildings. Dumville admitted in the press he just dropped the money in his operating accounts.

Campbell countered that he had put accountability rules in place and was the first minister to do so. That doesn’t say much for Liberal Minister Richard Brown who was in charge of the file during the chaos of 2008.

Crane wanted to know who approved these waivers of the rules for Dumville, was it Neil Stewart of IIDI or Deputy Minister Brooke MacMillan? She asked Campbell if any of the 800 businesses who were turned down had better applications that didn’t need rules to be broken.

Obviously, Crane was alleging that Dumville as a government MLA went to the head of the line, wink wink nudge nudge.

Campbell’s only rejoinder was to demand she get the money Pat Dorsey and Peter MacQuaid took when they were in the Premier’s office. Why doesn’t Campbell go after those two on his own. After all, he’s the government.

Crane questioned Campbell’s management skills saying he never went back and checked on these issues or did he want to overlook what happened with Dumville?

Crane said Campbell and the government was blocking the Auditor General from testifying on everything he knows about the preferential treatment given to Dumville and Burger King.

Crane also accused the government of approving two not-for-profits again against the rules. “You are the minister who broke the rules and signed off on these files.”

She asked what discipline was meted out to Neil Stewart for breaking the rules.

Premier says all MLAs are in conflict of interest

At this point Premier Ghiz got up and in his best rat-a-tat-tat machine gun delivery took umbrage at everything Crane had asked. “How can she slander civil servants this way.”

In a flourish of rhetorical speech and Freudian slips he said. “I’m in conflict of interest. All the MLAs are in conflict of interest. All of PEI is in conflict except the Leader of the Opposition.”

As an aside, anyone who watched CSI or First 48 knows it is not a good idea to make even a hypothetical or rhetorical confession.

Bill Dow

Crane hammered away at lawyer Bill Down who is the Premier’s cousin. He was the lawyer for IIDI, the government agency that administered the PNP funds.

Dow also acted for Bush Dumville said Crane.

Dow also acted as lawyer for the agents who took more than half of the PNP funds. Crane tabled a document that disclosed the three clients in one for Dow.

“Did the Premier see a conflict of interest?” she asked. “Are you comfortable in those decisions?”

Crane also referred to the whistle blower who worked in the program and left to go the the Federal government.

The whistle blower had told the press that Dow was the mastermind behind the scheme and controlled everything that happened.

Ghiz erupted with more of his new rat-a-tat-tat diatribes as question period ended.

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