GUEST VIEW: Partisan attack fails to address problem
It seems a shame that, with such a wealth of possibilities, the best Conservative leader John Cummins could do with a damning audit of legislature finances was to take a shot at Bill Barisoff.
It’s clear from Auditor General John Doyle’s report some major reform is needed when it comes to finances at B.C.’s Legislature. And, in response to the report, which concluded financial practices at the Legislature were little short of a train wreck, there appears to be some needed change on the way.
It’s a sad truth politicians and bureaucracies of every stripe play fast and loose with the public purse at times. In this case, it is dramatic how far out of whack things have gotten — Doyle’s report concluded a $1.3-billion adjustment is needed.
Without a doubt, Doyle’s report is going to play against the Liberals with an election less than a year away.
Surely Cummins could have found a better political target than Barisoff, questioning his conduct while calling for his resignation.
True, as Speaker Barisoff holds overall responsibility for the finances, but there are factors that need to be considered.
First, Barisoff does not stand alone. As Speaker, he is also chair of the nonpartisan legislative assembly management committee, where the true responsibility lies.
Then too, the books didn’t get out of whack based on either a single man or even a single administration’s doing.
It is against the system that allowed this mismanagement to go on for so long that Cummins should be directing his ire, not against a man or even a party.
The province doesn’t need rhetoric. It needs real change,
— Penticton Western News
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