P.E.I. election campaign debate: Accountability central theme
Four party leaders participate in final public debate of P.E.I. election campaign
Accountability in government returned to centre stage as a theme in the P.E.I. election campaign Thursday night in the final debate of the campaign.
It was the second televised debate of the campaign, the Guardian's Decision '15 Leaders Debate on EastLink TV.
Questions were posed on most of the main issues, but the discussion of accountability created the most heat.
"Twenty nine million dollars in loan write-offs over the past six years, only about a third of which had cabinet approval," charged Progressive Conservative Leader Rob Lantz.
"We will establish a royal commission on accountability in government."
Liberal Leader Wade MacLauchlan was quick to promote what he's already accomplished as premier when it came to fiscal responsibility.
"We're not that far from balancing the books. We now have a deficit of $34.5 million dollars, which is five million better than it was predicted to be," said MacLauchlan.
"By 2015-16 we'll have the books balanced."
NDP Leader Mike Redmond, who was the first in the campaign to call for some kind of inquiry into government behaviour in scandals surrounding the provincial nominee program and a proposal to regulate e-gaming, repeated his call Thursday night.
"An independent judicial inquiry, you know it needs to happen. We need to restore trust in government," said Redmond.
Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker said rebuilding trust in government needs to start at the very beginning, with campaign financing.
"There are four parties that stand in front of you. Three of those parties accept corporate donations," said Bevan-Baker.
"That in itself lends itself to at least the possibility of some shady behavior."
This was the last public debate the leaders will have before election day on Monday.
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