At today’s Public Accounts meeting, the Provincial Auditor indicated that she is investigating vendor-sponsored travel and related contracts at eHealth and will report on her findings in June. The Provincial Auditor shared this after NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat tabled a motion calling on the Provincial Auditor to fully examine vendor-sponsored travel at eHealth.
Sask. Party MLAs defeated the motion, which would have ensured not just an auditor investigation, but a special report, as was conducted for the Global Transportation Hub in 2016.
“An investigation by the Auditor is welcome and clearly needed,” said Mowat. “It’s disappointing that Sask. Party MLAs voted against our motion, but we’re happy to see the Auditor moving forward with an investigation nonetheless. The people of Saskatchewan deserve to know all the details around this case.”
In the motion, Mowat called on the Provincial Auditor to:
- Perform a special audit to fully examine eHealth Saskatchewan’s recent and current contract and tendering processes;
- Fully examine whether vendor-sponsored travel by eHealth employees led to misuse of public resources, violated appropriate policies and procedures or resulted in a failure to negotiate in the best interests of taxpayers; and
- Table the special report with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
“We’re disappointed that the Sask. Party MLAs did not vote for transparency today, because so many questions remain,” Mowat said. “Did the inappropriate travel that went on at eHealth result in contracts? Were appropriate procedures followed in any such cases? Are any changes warranted to ensure that Saskatchewan people get good value from government contracts? We hope the Auditor’s investigation can get to the bottom of these questions.”