Who else has taken advantage of PNP? Opposition wonders

With P.E.I.'s auditor general questioning how the conflict of interest commissioner dealt with MLA involvement in the provincial nominee program, the Opposition parties are wondering where the questions will end.

Four MLAs used the immigrant partner program for investment in companies they owned. Three of the four were cleared first by conflict of interest commissioner Neil Robinson. In his annual report last week, Auditor General Colin Younker questioned that ruling.

Younker said MLAs aren't supposed to enter into contracts with the government in which their company receives benefits. He said the use of proceeds agreements, which spell out how the money is to be spent, and which the Liberal MLAs had to sign was a contract.

"He puts it out as a question, and the auditor general of course is perfectly entitled to do that," Robinson told CBC News Monday in response to Younker's report.

Robinson still maintains those contract do not constitute a conflict of interest, because they were not written specifically for the MLAs.

"All business applicants, not just the MLAs but all of them, had to sign this agreement," said Robinson.

"So it was a contract made for the benefit of a broad class of individuals, all similarly eligible."

Judgment questioned

James Rodd, the new leader of the New Democratic Party on P.E.I., said continuing questions over conflict of interest are troubling.

"It appears that even the commissioner of conflict of interest has made an error of judgment to the MLAs," said Rodd.

"Who knows where this is going to end?"

Three deputy-minister-level civil servants have also been identified as receiving money from PNP for their companies. Two have said they would return it.

Tory Opposition Leader Olive Crane said the new questions of conflict are eroding public confidence in the operation of government. Both Crane and Rodd have called for a public enquiry.

"The more the rumours circulate, the more we keep getting surprised everyday, the more I think it's really disgusting to the general public," she said.

More than 2,000 investments have been made in Island companies through the immigrant partner program in 2007-08, and the auditor general's report explored only 95 of them. Crane and Rodd feel given the level of irregularities in the program already uncovered, further investigation is warranted.