Auditor General John Doyle says an offer by a
legislative committee to extend his term by two years is "premature,"
and the chair of the committee has a potential conflict of interest. Doyle said Thursday he will wait for the legislature
to vote in February on whether he should be reappointed, and he doesn't
believe the five MLAs on the selection committee are in a position to
make him such an offer. He said the committee has incorrectly decided that
his current six-year term ends in May. He didn't start until October
2007, and the period where an acting auditor general served should not
be considered part of his term. That means the decision can be made
after the May 14 provincial election. "I think that this entire process has been premature,
and probably should be left to the next parliament to resolve," Doyle
said. "No one would be disenfranchised, because it still requires a unanimous decision by both parties to appoint. But at that stage, I
think calmer minds will be looking at the situation." The five-MLA committee announced their unanimous
decision to offer the extension Wednesday, after a closed-door meeting
to consider Clark's suggestion. Clark said the government will present
amendments in the legislature in February to create a non-renewable
eight-year term for all future provincial auditors. The committee's B.C. Liberal majority initially
rejected the idea of reappointing Doyle and advertised for a
replacement. Committee members are forbidden from speaking publicly
about how they voted or reasons why, because it is a personnel matter. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster, the committee chair,
said the decision to reappoint Doyle for two more years was made
Wednesday and was unanimous. Asked if Foster should have continued as chair after a
2010 auditor's report that raised questions about his constituency
office renovations, Doyle said Foster would have been "wise" to step
aside. Doyle also objected to a question he was asked during his
interview with the committee, where Doyle asked to be appointed to a
second term. "I was underwhelmed by a question I got in the
conduct of the interview that made it quite clear to me that I had good
reason to doubt his objectivity in respect to his role as chair," Doyle
said. "I'm thinking about how to deal with that." Doyle said the "nonsense" about the end of his term is a problem the committee caused and must solve. "This isn't an offer and acceptance situation," Doyle
said. "The eport is issued by the committee. They make a decision.
They haven't seen fit to meet with me again recently to talk through
what my thoughts or wishes or concerns might be. "I've been a bystander and found out about things probably at the same time that the media did." The other two B.C. Liberals who form the majority are
Chilliwack MLA John Les and Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom, both
of whom are not seeking re-election in May. Burnaby-Deer Lake MLA Kathy Corrigan and Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston represent the NDP on the committee.
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Special Committee to Appoint an Auditor General Report (January 23, 2013) [ PDF ]
Advertisements (excerpt below)
The Auditor General leads a dedicated and professional team of approximately 115 staff. The Auditor General is appointed for six years, and may be reappointed for an additional term. The Office of the Auditor General is located in the provincial capital of Victoria.
Resumes should be received by fax, by email or by mail at the address below no later than Friday, January 25, 2013. Although the Special Committee appreciates the interest of all applicants, only those who are invited for an interview will be contacted. All resumes received will be held in confidence.
-------
Special Committee to Appoint an Auditor General Report (January 23, 2013) [ PDF ]
Advertisements (excerpt below)
The Auditor General leads a dedicated and professional team of approximately 115 staff. The Auditor General is appointed for six years, and may be reappointed for an additional term. The Office of the Auditor General is located in the provincial capital of Victoria.
Resumes should be received by fax, by email or by mail at the address below no later than Friday, January 25, 2013. Although the Special Committee appreciates the interest of all applicants, only those who are invited for an interview will be contacted. All resumes received will be held in confidence.
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