N.S. refuses request for accord details
N.S. refuses request for accord details By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter Tue. Feb 12 - 8:37 PM Nova Scotia Liberal leader Stephen MacNeil is slamming the MacDonald Tories for refusing to release details about the reworked federal-provincial agreement on offshore revenue. (DARREN PITTMAN/Staff/File) Nova Scotia's Liberal party is unhappy with what it says is a lack of disclosure of information about the new offshore energy agreement between this province and Ottawa. The Grits have filed a formal request through freedom of information legislation for "the (2007) clarifying agreement and the Nova Scotia interpretation of the (original) 2005 Atlantic accord," a release said Tuesday, but their request has been denied. The Atlantic accord is a signed contract between the federal and provincial governments on oil and gas revenue. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil alleged the MacDonald government's "high level of secrecy" is behind the refusal to release information, calling it a disservice to Nova Scotians. "The taxpayers have a right to know how and why the government determined that the new offshore deal will be better for Nova Scotia," he said in the release. Joe Gillis, a spokesman with the premier's office, said the Liberals' freedom of information request went through the provincial Finance Department. Cathy Shaw, a spokeswoman with the department, told The Chronicle Herald the request was denied because it didn't comply with provisions under the act. She also said much information about the accord has already been released. "There were extensive explanations, there were schedules of numbers, there were all kinds of things released" in October when the new pact was announced, Ms. Shaw said. "A great amount of time was taken to explain to people exactly what the numbers meant." The Liberals beg to differ. They submitted their request for Atlantic accord material on Dec. 10, the release said. On Jan. 8, they were advised the government wanted 30 days to consider the request. Last week, the Grits' office was told their request had been refused. A Liberal spokeswoman said the request was turned down because it was deemed to be advice that could harm federal-provincial relations. The Liberals wanted to know "what data and assumptions the government used to determine their position in favour of the new offshore agreement," the release said. It accuses the provincial government of secrecy with respect to the accord's details. "What we have asked for should be made available," Mr. McNeil said in the release. "It is information that has been collected and analyzed by government." Last year, Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Nova Scotia's voice in the federal cabinet, reaffirmed the settlement in Halifax after skeptics questioned the lack of documents backing the new agreement. "The deal is here," Mr. MacKay said in October. "The deal is between the prime minister and the premier, the province and the federal government, the details of which ... are contained in the exchange of letters between the federal finance minister and the provincial finance minister." The Grit caucus in Nova Scotia has submitted two requests to Ottawa asking for those letters between federal and provincial politicians, the Liberals' release said. Inserted from <http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9005517.html>
Posts
