May 16, 2017
(OTTAWA) – Elizabeth May responded to today’s report from Auditor General Michael Ferguson:
“Today’s Auditor General report is shocking. The theme seems to be a consistent denial of access to information by the Department of Finance, despite the Auditor General’s entitlement to all necessary documents. It was unprecedented for the A-G to receive a Strategic Environmental Assessment with virtually all useful information redacted.
“The phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies was a key Liberal platform commitment, yet Mr. Ferguson was unable to obtain even the most basic information about how those subsidies are being calculated, and what, if anything, is being done to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies in the coming years.
“Today’s Order-in-Council, which will grant the Auditor General access to confidential information dating back to November 2015, will still not allow the A-G to complete this audit.
“Estimates of federal and provincial fossil fuel subsidies are somewhere in the range of $1 to $3 billion annually. We have to clearly identify and shift these perverse subsidies towards building a sustainable economy. This is what Canadians voted for, and they expect this administration to follow through. The first rule of holes: you can’t get out if you keep digging.”