NDP Leader Earle McCurdy says the report released today by the province’s Auditor General points to years of lacklustre oversight by successive Tory and Liberal governments in several vital areas of operations.
“It’s hair-raising to read what the Auditor General says about the sloppy approach taken to road construction, for example,” said McCurdy. “From MHA interference in setting paving priorities to letting contractors off the hook for money they should have paid for slow- or non-completion of work, the AG has identified numerous examples of careless oversight.
“People are taking their lives in their hands when they travel on our highways. It’s appalling to see how often companies fail to deliver the work they’re contracted to do – and then those same companies get more government contracts year after year.” The lack of adequate oversight and planning is evident in other sections of today’s AG report, says the NDP leader. “In home care, we see that some agencies are reported as being non-compliant year after year and that seniors are not being regularly assessed to see if their home care needs have changed.”
It’s no surprise to the NDP leader that the Auditor General identifies lack of planning as a problem in two widely diverse areas: greenhouse gas reduction and the aging demographics of the province.
“The AG is telling us clearly that problems persist for years in vital areas of government operations without being addressed,” said McCurdy.
“If our roads are dangerous, if seniors aren’t getting the care they need, the reaction at the top level of government should be to say, ‘This isn’t good enough. Let’s fix it.’
“Instead, we’ve seen years of pass-the-buck government.”
-30-
To contact Earle McCurdy, phone 739-6387 or e-mail news@nl.ndp.ca