Why is the Finance Minister Spending So Much Time with the Auditor General??

Victor Boudreau is not just the Finance Minister, he is essentially the Chief Financial Officer for New Brunswick. Many might not realize but in addition to being Finance Minister, Boudreau is also in charge of several other government organizations such as NB Liquor, NB Investment Management Corporation, and the Regional Development Corporation.

Almost all of them are being investigated (or criticized) by the A-G.

The NB Investment Management Corporation, which looks after all the province's pension funds, was investigated last year. The A-G had to make several recommendations to the government about setting targets and disclosing information about incentives for employees.

A follow-up by the A-G's Office on the Regional Development Corporation noted they were still not providing evaluation reports on their programs and funding - something that has been a hot potato for Minister Boudreau lately. He had a recent disastrous meeting with the Editorial Board of the telegraph-Journal in which he admitted the problem and also admitted he doesn't know how to fix it.

Recently, the Conservative Opposition requested that the government ask the A-G investigate the very strange pricing practices at NB Liquor - where they apparently asked their wine suppliers to jack up the price so NB Liquor could make more money. How many stores do you know that would ask their suppliers to charge more so they can pass on the inflation to their customers?

Finally, when the Liberals tabled their budget this year they announced a massive deficit of over $700 million dollars, but then Boudreau said they just weren't going to count the $300 million they owe to the pension funds. (Here's an idea - next time your mortgage payment is due - try going to the bank and telling them you aren't counting your house payments as part of your expenses anymore.)

Once again, the A-G had to investigate and set the record state - the deficits that the Liberals are planning on running for the next four years are even worse than they are admitting to people.

How much confidence can anyone have in a Finance Minister who has every single one of his departments and agencies under a cloud of suspicion? Maybe Victor Boudreau's plan for stimulating the economy based on giving the Auditor General's office lots of work to do?

Liberal. The L stands for Lobbyist.

Here at the New Brunswick Conservative, we are shocked at the level of incompetence the Graham government has attained.

Well, not really, that is kind of what you would call a Shawn Graham Guarantee*.

But we did not think it would become so obvious to so many in such a short period of time.

Well, that too is kind of what you would call a Shawn Graham Guarantee*.

We knew the Liberal bench was shallower than the Becaguimac in August, but we thought the senior bureaucrats King Shawn placed in important positions would be highly skilled, best-of-the-best and very qualified.

Well, that would also be termed a Shawn Graham Guarantee*.

But the fact is that the presidency of a major NB Crown Corporation was given to a political hack with no qualifications, simply because he was in the room when the 'good patronage jobs' were being handed out. How could that happen you say? Simple. The presidency of NB Liquor was given to the person who most helped Shawn take the Premier's chair. The former Executive Director of the Liberal Party of NB. Because everyone knows political party EDs are a proving ground for executives.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/04/13/nb-clendenning-conflict.html

Once even the left wing elites at the CBC point out the emperor (president of NB Liquor)has no clothes, you know it must be obscene. The Graham government has taken incompetence to a new low.

Evidently $140,00 per year to tour wineries around the globe and abuse New Brunswick consumers with exorbitant pricing is not enough. You must then socialize the beer making business and use accounting rules for toilet paper to fudge your numbers.

But wait, there is more. You get caught up in a conflict of interest investigation. But El Presidente has an out. He allegedly only took the money (the quid), he did not provide the 'pro quo'.

For those that do not know Latin (or do, since I am a product of the NB Education system), to make it clear, the allegation is the lobbyist took the 'Consulting Fee', but the Lobbyist did not deliver the required 'Patronage'

Corruption is a very harsh word. But sometimes only very blunt words will deliver a very blunt message. We have corruption at the highest levels of the Graham government, and it must be expunged.

If the Premier has any ethics left, he will ask the President of NB Liquor to resign, before the case comes before the judge.

NB Liquor needs to be led by someone with the skills required for the job. Maybe El Presidente could become the President of RDC and just shovel money around ridings that are winnable in 2010.

* This is not a Guarantee