2 Tory deputies named in PNP controversy

P.E.I.'s Progressive Conservative opposition is feeling the heat along with the Liberal government over news in the auditor general's report that three senior servants benefited from a provincially run immigrant investor program.

'There is an appearance that these individuals could have used their positions to gain approval under the program.' — Colin Younker, auditor general

Auditor General Colin Younker said in his report three deputy minister level employees and/or their spouses received cash from an immigrant to invest in a business from the Provincial Nominee Program while in their positions.

Younker didn't identify the civil servants. But Tory MLA Mike Currie, who was the minister responsible for the PNP under his party's administration until May 2007, told a media scrum outside the legislature Thursday that two of those three civil servants were Progressive Conservatives, who served for the previous government. 

Currie said those two deputies were Peter MacQuaid, former premier Pat Binn's chief of staff, and Pat Dorsey, in charge of policy and planning for the premier. Even though he was the minister responsible for the program at the time, Currie said he didn't know the two deputies or their families participated in the program.

"I was never consulted by them, and the other thing is I never saw the list, or never wanted to see the list. I never micro-managed the program," said Currie.

Last fall the Tories were highly critical of the Liberal government when it came out that one of their deputies, Brooke MacMillan, had received cash to invest in one of his businesses from the program. A review by another senior civil servant cleared MacMillan of conflict, but Younker took a different view in his report.

Younker wrote under Treasury Board guidelines even the appearance of a conflict constituted a conflict.

"There is an appearance that these individuals could have used their positions to gain approval under the program and therefore were in a conflict based on the Treasury Board guidelines," Younker wrote.

Opposition's job gets harder

Tory MLA Jim Bagnall admits it will be a little tougher to be critical of the Liberal government in light of the Dorsey and MacQuaid revelations.

"I guess it makes it more difficult, obviously," said Bagnall.

"But we look at it in the extent that according to the rules that were set there, they followed the rules. They were eligible under the rules that were there."

The auditor general is recommending government adopt tighter conflict of interest rules for deputy ministers. The opposition is going one step farther and suggesting no deputy minister or family member be allowed to participate in any government programs.

Attempts to reach Dorsey and MacQuaid for comment were unsuccessful.