Spending requires deterrence, detection, disclosure

Unprecedented eHealth and deficit spending in Ontario has generated what I refer to as a 3-D fall back position:  dodge, delay and denounce! We in the Ontario Legislature have witnessed a rapid-fire succession of closure, time allocation and other government tricks to silence dissenting voices.

Last week, I stood in the Legislature to support a motion to have the Public Accounts Committee call highly-paid eHealth scapegoats Sarah Kramer and Dr. Allan Hudson to explain the billion dollar scandal. I did so with the realization that I was speaking to a government whose members had received their marching orders, blinders and requisite ear-plugs.

I called for Kramer and Hudson to give evidence with the realization that the need for transparency and control on government spending is now greater than ever.

It’s time for a new set of 3-D’s. It’s time for government to get real about three concepts: deterrence, detection, and disclosure. To allow Kramer and Hudson to testify in front of Public Accounts would be a good first step.

In addition to government scandal, the downturn in the Ontario economy – indeed across North America – has led to a massive spending of taxpayer dollars in an attempt to get things back on track. All too often though, these dollars go out the door without proper control and auditing. All too often, governments throw good money after bad without ever asking the hard but necessary questions.

Put simply, when the economy gets tough, the spending can get stupid and open to corruption – much as we’ve seen with eHealth!

It’s time for proper evaluation – it’s time for oversight and transparency to lift the shroud of secrecy and properly assess any government missteps in the allocation of resources.

We are already talking about a billion dollars of squandered taxpayer money contributing to a $24.7 billion overspending by government. If we are not now monitoring and tracking spending properly in this fiscal year, we must ask why and when will we begin.

Across the border, I can tell you they are taking these type of spending concerns very seriously. In the state of California for instance, both government and private firms are opening doors to public input in order to keep a watchful eye on the distribution of taxpayer funds.

Governor Swartzenneger has welcomed information on possible waste and spending concerns with his website, ‘Waste Watchers’. The governor goes as far as to encourage citizens to provide names of departments and individuals as well as dates and details to increase the chances of a successful investigation.

Further, the site ‘recovery.org’ has also been set up in the States to bring unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability to ‘shovel-ready’ spending and to ensure that every business, regardless of size, has equal access to the projects associated with the recovery efforts. In a country where 7 to10 per cent of taxpayer dollars are lost to fraud and misspending the need for vigilance, and oversight are essential.

Despite continued efforts to instill a sense of oversight and transparency provincially we are repeatedly shut down by a government majority directed to prevent getting down to the truth of the matter.
It’s time for scrutiny!

It’s time to replace an environment of dodge, delay and denounce with one of deterrence, detection and disclosure.