Who’s to blame in John Doyle’s departure for down under?
Posted February 5, 2013 12:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Is anyone at fault for one of BC’s toughest whistleblowers deciding to take a new job in Australia?
An analyst says Auditor General John Doyle has good reason to take off.
Political Scientist Norman Ruff believes Doyle is running away from a political circus, with the pushing and shoving over his future. “If we’re looking for blame, it really goes back to the way the process unfolded.”
The uproar over Doyle’s future began early last month when the NDP said the Liberals should keep him on the job.
“I don’t think you can fault the NDP for saying he did a good job and should be reappointed,” adds Ruff.
If it’s a game of who started it, NDP Leader Adrian Dix says it wasn’t him. “This isn’t a controversy involving Mr. Doyle. Last summer, we said that we wanted to see Mr. Doyle re-appointed.”
“This could have been handled very quickly and very expeditiously,” Dix adds. “The fact is that it appears the Liberal party didn’t want him to stay on.”
Ruff believes Liberal members in the committee that chooses the auditor didn’t want Doyle back, but were put in a tough spot when the premier asked him to stay on the job after outcry from the public and the opposition early last month.
Doyle will leave later this year for a new position in the state of Victoria, Australia.
