Canadian Taxpayers Federation calls for action on mass fraud
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling for action from Premier Tony Wakeham’s government after the auditor general flagged hundreds of “incidents and weaknesses in government financial control.” The AG’s report points to fraud-related cases across government, many involving cheque fraud and gaps in internal controls.
The Federation says, “Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian’s per capita share of the provincial debt is more than $35,000, one of the highest in the country. Debt interest payments alone are projected at more than $1.2 billion this year. That’s about $2,200 for every person in the province.”
Now, the CTF is calling on the provincial government to fully investigate the cases identified in the AG’s report, to strengthen fraud prevention systems across all departments, recover any lost funds and conduct a comprehensive review of government spending to eliminate waste and focus on paying down debt.