Bruce Ralston, MLA • Surrey-Whalley

Auditor General John Doyle’s criticism of the
government’s accounting methods Thursday shows
it’s the same old Liberals that try to hide the truth from the public, say the
New Democrats.

“The Liberals promised many years ago they would be
the most open and accountable government in history,” said finance critic Bruce
Ralston. “Thursday’s report by the auditor
general proves that, years later, this is still an empty promise.

“Christy Clark was part of the Liberal team when that
promise was made, and now that she’s in charge, the premier clearly has no
intention of keeping it.”

Doyle said Thursday regarding
accounting policies “for a government that strives for transparency
and accountability, this is unacceptable.” The report says the government
uses accounting methods that are misleading, leading
British Columbians to believe the books are in better shape than they
really are.

The report shows more than a $20 billion
jump in contractual obligations this year, bringing the total obligations to
over $80 billion. The auditor general recommends that the government disclose
much greater detail about those contracts, including key renewal and
termination options, and conditions that may impact future cash flow or service
delivery.

“Since these types of long-term contracts
have become the way this government prefers to deliver services, greater
disclosure is important to ensure the public gets the best deal possible
considering the amount of public money being spent,” said Ralston.

“Ironically, the
Liberals say municipalities need an auditor general,” said Ralston. “Meanwhile, it’s
the Liberal government that needs to shine a light on
its own accounting.”

Ralston said the auditor general criticised the accounting methods used for the Port
Mann Bridge project saying they recorded it as
self-supported rather than a taxpayer-supported debt.
The auditor general also raised concerns about BC Hydro.

“One of the things the Liberals have done is to
artificially record current debt at BC Hydro in future years on the books,
meaning rate hikes are inevitable down the road,” said Ralston.

“The Liberals clearly want to use whichever accounting
method they can to make things look better,” said Ralston. “The reality is that
bad news is just being put off to future years.”

British Columbians have lost trust and faith in the
B.C. Liberals, and Adrian Dix and the New Democrats want to restore that faith
in government by offering solutions that work for B.C. families.

The auditor general’s report can be found here: www.bcauditor.com