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BURNABY – The Liberal Government’s appointment of the Ministry of Finance’s former comptroller-general Arn van Iersel as the province’s next Auditor General has seriously compromised the independence of that office, CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill said today.

Appointing an insider to this post sends the wrong message to British Columbians about how serious the Government intends to be about policing its own books,” said O’Neill.

This appointment is traditionally reached by consensus between the Government and the Opposition. Having an independent Auditor General responsible to the legislature and not one party is essential. Losing this independence is just one more step in undermining public trust in government.”

O’Neill said that British Columbians deserve to have the confidence in government spending that only a truly independent Auditor General—one who is responsible to the legislature and not the government—can provide.

This is not a partisan issue,” he said, “Any issue that can unite CUPE and the Taxpayers’ Federation is one the people of British Columbia should be concerned about.”

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Contact:
Barry O’Neill, CUPE BC president: (604) 340-6768
Dan Gawthrop, Communications representative: (604) 999-6132