Liberal MLAs who used PNP funds cleared of wrongdoing

P.E.I.'s conflict of interest commissioner has cleared three Liberal MLAs of any wrongdoing in connection with their involvement in the provincial nominee program (PNP).

But the Conservative Opposition says it's up to Islanders to decide for themselveswhether or notthey feel the MLAs were in a conflict of interest.

'The conflict of interest commissioner has said categorically that there is no conflict whatsoever.' Premier Robert Ghiz

As backbenchers, Bush Dumville, Robert Mitchell and Pat Murphy all applied for and received money from immigrant investors through the provincially administered program.

The conflict of interest commissioner, Neil Robinson, started looking into the possibility of a conflict after Auditor General Colin Younker suggested the three MLAs were skating close to the line. In his review of PNP, Younker said he had "some concerns" about the three backbenchers entering into contracts with government.

In his report filed in the legislature Tuesday, Robinson said the MLAs did nothing wrong.

"The conflict of interest commissioner has taken the laws of the legislative assembly now and said categorically that there is no conflict whatsoever," said Premier Robert Ghiz.

"In fact, the MLAs went to check everything out beforehand to make sure they weren't going to be in conflict."

Ghiz noted this is the third time the three backbenchers have had their PNP involvement scrutinized, and each time, they have been proven to have done no wrong.

Progressive Conservative Leader Olive Crane had nothing to say about the new report on Monday but on Wednesday said it's up to the public to decide the appropriateness of government officials accessing government programs and contracts.

The Opposition has no intention of backing off its inquiry into the way the Ghiz government ran the program, she said.

If the government has nothing to hide, it should provide full disclosure, she added.

Confident of being cleared

Mitchell, the MLA for Charlottetown-Sherwood, accessed PNP money for a landscaping business he operates.

Mitchell said he went to Robinson before applying for the money, and when the commissioner told him it wasn't a problem he went ahead. He hopes this report by the commissioner will finally put an end to the discussion over whether MLAs were in a conflict.

"He rules on a lot of different things regarding conflict. He is a very astute lawyer. He knows the laws and he follows them to the letter," he said.

"I never really questioned what he gave me. But if those in public are [questioning it]then this is the proper thing to do, to review it and put it to rest, so to speak."

The Opposition was very critical of the MLAs last spring.

"Premier, let me assure this house, if I was sitting in your shoes as the premier, whether it was in the past or the present, I would tell people that senior officials and MLAs on my watch would never be able to participate in a program the way they've done,"Crane said in the legislature.

"If they chose to change the rules so that a select few could benefit, they'd be fired."

At that time, Crane was also calling for the head of former deputy minister Brooke MacMillan for his involvement in the program. MacMillan was forced to pay back the money he had received.

Robinson didn't mention bureaucrats in this report, focusing only on politicians.