Auditor General felt she was lied to on the Fair Hydro Plan by Wynne Liberals

This afternoon, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk presented before the Select Committee on Financial Transparency, which is seeking answers into the Wynne Liberals’ hidden $15 billion deficit.

The Auditor General has previously referred to the deceptive accounting practices of the previous Wynne Liberal Government as “bogus”, and, in a scathing indictment, today said she felt lied to when it comes to the Fair Hydro Plan. She added, “I don’t think in my career, I’ve ever seen a situation like the ones we’ve encountered in the last couple of years.”

The Auditor General faced questions over the Wynne Liberals’ stonewalling her office’s access to essential requested government documents, and about the impact of the Liberals’ behaviour on the province’s bottom-line. She described the impact of the Fair Hydro Plan on the province’s net debt as “up there close to a 10” on a scale of 10.

Tomorrow, the Select Committee will hear from senior public servants in the Wynne Liberal government.

Quotes from the Auditor General:

On the Fair Hydro Plan:

MPP Downey: “Do you feel you were lied to by omission? Is that what’s happening here?”

Auditor General Lysyk: “On the Fair Hydro Plan, yes.”

On the unprecedented accounting dispute:

Auditor General Lysyk: “I don’t think in my career, I’ve ever seen a situation like the ones we’ve encountered in the last couple of years in meetings that where, you know, we go in and we’re trying to discuss the accounting and our points aren’t even acknowledged as being reality or the reality we’re hearing from them isn’t reality.”

On the impact of the Fair Hydro Plan on the province’s books:

Auditor General Lysyk: “How significant was the Fair Hydro Plan in terms of affecting negatively – in terms of taking the impact of the decision off the bottom line of net debt? I would say it was very significant. I would say it is up there close to a 10.”

On being stonewalled by the Wynne Liberals:

Auditor General Lysyk: “…we required some board minutes from IESO and they were given a box of papers and it was at the bottom of the box of papers.”

On the importance of Auditor General’s role:

Auditor General Lysyk: “In the private sector you don’t see qualifications that much because auditors are allowed to quit. … the auditor generals in Canada can’t quit. We have to hold our ground when we know we’re right.”