NEWS

Queen’s Park – Progressive Conservative MPP Norm Miller today continues the call for a public inquiry to resolve the many unanswered questions that remain about the serious, and potentially criminal, abuses of the taxpayer money that occurred with the McGuinty Liberal eHealth Scandal.

Miller believes that citizens in Parry Sound-Muskoka are rightly concerned about how this Liberal government spends their hard-earned taxpayer dollars. The $1 Billion eHealth Boondoggle demonstrates the gross negligence of fiscal management that has become common place in the McGuinty government.

Wasting $1 Billion health-care dollars is especially concerning, in light of the fact that Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is severely under-funded, posting a deficit of over $2 Million in the 08-09 fiscal year.

Another question that remains unanswered is: why did 5 Liberals use their voting majority to block former senior eHealth executives Sarah Kramer and Alan Hudson from testifying before a parliamentary committee looking into the affair?

Given the overt obstruction of the Auditor General’s probe, the Ontario PC Caucus has concluded that only an independent, impartial public inquiry with a full mandate to subpoena testimony and documents will provide the answers the people of Ontario deserve.

QUOTES

“When we see local hospitals struggling to make ends meet and posting sizable deficits, it’s unconscionable that the McGuinty government would waste $1Billion on things like untendered contracts to Liberal-friendly consultants.”

–MPP Norm Miller

“It is clear that Dalton McGuinty’s promises of transparency and accountability were a charade. Liberal MPPs are using every trick in the book to block the truth from coming out.”

–MPP Norm Miller

“The McGuinty government forgets that the $1Billion wasted on eHealth were taxpayer dollars. They show a complete disrespect for the fact that their scandals fall on the backs of hard-working Ontario families.”

–MPP Norm Miller

QUICK FACTS

The following issues require a public inquiry to resolve:

• The Auditor General’s report strongly suggests that there may have been deliberate collusion and bid-rigging at eHealth.  Given that this is potentially criminal behaviour a deeper probe into the bidding process is required.

• The Auditor General’s report highlights the role of the power of Management Board of Cabinet in waiving the rules relating to untendered contracts.  Members of the cabinet have also admitted that the Management Board actively signed off on the awarding of untendered contracts.   A Public Inquiry can fully investigate how extensively members of the Management Board were involved in the eHealth Scandal.

• The Auditor General himself reported instances of overt obstruction of his probe by officials of the McGuinty government.   This represents a potentially massive abuse of power that requires an independent probe.

• The Auditor General’s Probe lacked the mandate and resources to fully examine the potential Liberal affiliations of the individuals involved in the scandal or to conclusively determine which individuals saw personal financial gain.  A Public Inquiry can answer both questions.