More bad news for Nova Scotia politicians

It seems that the next phase in the Nova Scotia Auditor General's investigation into spending irregularities at the House of Assembly has been presented to the public, at least to some extent. Earlier today a letter to from the Auditor General to the Speaker indicating that a total of five current and former MLAs are suspected of having engaged in illegal activities. It seems that the related files/cases have been turned over to the RCMP. Obviously, any criminal investigation would then be conducted by the RCMP.

It seems that the more I learn about this scandal and the way it is being handled the more I am disappointed with the outcome. Firstly, it seems that the public has been left completely in the dark and doesn't really have a good sense about what is going on or what they should think about the behaviour of their MLAs. The two documents issued by the Auditor General provide very few specifics about who or what is involved. This recent letter suggesting criminal wrong-doing, after a report in which it was suggested no such wrong-doing had taken place, further confuses the matter. Secondly, because the information has been so limited and imprecise (meaning that the names and details of the individuals involved, total questionable expenditures, and the size of individual expenditures) it is hard for the public not to suspect the worst of most or all MLAs. The reputation of the House really hasn't been helped by several former MLAs who have given some particularly flimsy excuses for the expenses that were charged to them or the fact that the Premier seems to refuse to really have a detailed discussion of the matter.

As time passes and these issues begin to compound and further obscure the truth the more inclined I am to believe that a public inquiry of some sort is necessary. Not only would such an inquiry likely examine what exactly was done by the MLAs in question, but it would also examine the actions of the Auditor General and possibly provide recommendations about how to handle similar situations in the future. Without such an inquiry I don't see how the members of the public in Nova Scotia can have any confidence in their political system and the people that populate it.