Disciplinary action 'likely' over PNP: premier

P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz is considering disciplinary action against the people who ran the province's immigrant investor fund program last year.

Ghiz told CBC News Thursday he had not yet read the full report, but he didn't like what he had seen so far.

"I'll be reading the report in full tonight, and after I read the report in full I'll probably make some decisions," he said.

"Most likely I'll be coming in with some disciplinary action."

The Provincial Nominee Program allowed potential immigrants to put up $200,000 to fast track a Canadian visa. More than 2,000 nominees were approved in a last-minute rush last year as the program came to an end. In his annual report, released Thursday, provincial Auditor General Colin Younker found there were problems with oversight of the program.

Roughly a quarter of Younker's 200-page report was devoted to the PNP. He told a media briefing that the first problem his staff found was with the administration of the program, in particular that the board that should have been overseeing it was inactive.

Younker's staff looked at 95 of the more than 2,000 transactions made in 2008. They found five companies that were approved for investment at the program director level, despite not meeting the criteria.

Richard Brown, who was the minister responsible for the program when it ended last year, said he is willing to take responsibility for the problems and discipline from the premier, if it is deserved.

"Like I've said in the legislature time and time again, I'm the minister. I made the broad policy decisions," said Brown.

Ghiz said the report shows there is room for improvement and when a new program is created the recommendations from this report will be implemented.