Dear Editor:
The public depends on institutional watchdogs to keep government accountable. Offices like the Ombudsperson or Auditor General are critical to ensuring the government behaves in the public interest regardless of the political cost.
When government actively weakens or undermines these institutional checks and balances, you can be sure that the public interest is being compromised.
One of the biggest provincial news stories of 2013 has been the removal, by the BC Liberals, of the current Auditor General. Instead of choosing to have John Doyle stay on as Auditor General, the government has taken this opportunity to get rid of him.
John Doyle has provided very effective and determined oversight of government. And in the course of doing his job, John Doyle has exposed a record of incompetence and deceit.
But instead of addressing the shortfalls that have been pointed out through Auditor General reports, the BC Liberals first tried to discredit John Doyle. And now theyve taken the final step: theyve gotten rid of him.
If you believe that firing an effective critic of government is the wrong thing to do, I would encourage you to send a message to Premier Christy Clark at
Norm Macdonald, MLA
Columbia River – Revelstoke
