We could not agree more!
LANTZ IGNORES WHAT’S WRONG WITH IRAC.
It is the public’s last line of defense, but government’s
first line of patronage. And therein lies the contradiction
that continues to whittle away public trust in Island Regulatory
and Appeals Commission. IRAC is the vital public regu-
lator for things people care about…rent increases, electrici-
ty rates, fuel prices, and land ownership. But it operates in an
extreme bubble of secrecy that at times has verged on public
disinformation. It is also the place where the
crème-de-la-crème of political operatives go for five or 10-year
appointments aboard the Good Ship Patronage. Liberals and
Tories exchange absolute control of IRAC depending on
which party is in power. Last week Premier Rob Lantz
and newly minted Housing Minister Cory Deagle wrote a letter
to the commissioner of the RCMP asking it to launch yet
another investigation, yes they’ve occurred, into “serious
allegations of foreign interference and money laundering in
Prince Edward Island.”
Don’t expect much. This is a classic political bait and switch
with little to no chance of finding answers anytime soon.
Lantz and Deagle want to appear to be doing something,
when in fact they are doing nothing. Both politicians know
this.No politician can dictate what RCMP investigate. PEI has
no control over how the request is handled. It is entirely a feder-
al responsibility. The premier, who has an earned reputation for indecisiveness, wants to toughen his image. Deagle – forced out of the PC leadership race to allow Lantz to jump after he’s used
public resources to enhance his image (there is no universe
where this is OK, despite what the PC Party and weak-kneed
MLAs may think) – needs to build a record of achievement
beyond his most infamous decision – wasting $8 million and
counting on an NHL marketing deal.
Provincial politicians asking for a federal investigation, to
appease a chirping minority, while ignoring what they
should be doing at home, is not leadership.
For six years Pam Williams was the quiet whisperer in Den-
nis King’s ear, acting as his under the radar Chief of Staff.
Before he jumped ship, King handed Williams a 10-year-
appointment as IRAC chair and CEO, with a salary likely in the
$200,000 range. Her IRAC profile does not mention her role as
the premier’s chief advisor, only that she served in a ‘senior leadership role with the provincial government.’
Hmmm. Before being appointed vice-chair, Kerri Carpenter was a
prominent member of the Tory backroom. She rented space to
Dennis King when he ran for party leadership. In 2025 she
was appointed vice chair, with salary likely in the neighbour-
hood of the Chair’s, and handed a 10-year term retroactive to
2023. Her profile makes no mention of PC affiliation.
Today the PC government controls all IRAC senior posi-
tions. The former Liberal government asked IRAC in 2016 to
examine Buddhist land holdings. Only last week did we learn that IRAC never did its job and complete a final report. The
revelation came in the form of a letter from Williams to a legis-
lative committee demanding the report’s disclosure.
The letter raises two big issues.
1 – Why was IRAC not honest and transparent with Islanders,
who were led to believe for seven years a report had been
completed? Deceit by silence is still a lie.
2 – Why has Williams – who would have touched the land
file routinely while in the premier’s office – not recused her-
self? It seems an obvious conflict, especially as there is now a
valid question of when did the PC government learn of the
unfinished report? The question is rhetorical. If Williams recused
on land, she’d have to recuse on virtually every file. This is the
uncomfortable side of patronage that we ignore.
The happiest person on PEI last week is new Liberal Leader
Robert Mitchell, who was minister responsible for land at the
exact time IRAC shelved its investigation.
What did Robert Mitchell know and when did he know
it? Did the MacLauchlan government pressure IRAC, at the
time controlled by Liberal appointees, to not complete its
work?
These are imperative questions that demand answers. But
Lantz’s lack of a political antenna is letting Mitchell off the
hook.
If the premier wants to show political courage, do two things
immediately when the fall session of the legislature opens:
1 –Eliminate patronage as the primary driver for IRAC appoint-
ments. Create a system where all qualified Islanders have an
equal opportunity, instead of just those politically connected.
2 – Bring forward legislation that establishes long overdue
transparency to IRAC decision-making.
It’s simple. PEI cannot control a federal investigation on
alleged Chinese interference. But we can control who owns
land, overseen by a body built on transparency, integrity and
political neutrality. It’s doubtful Lantz has the courage. He is not a rock the establishment politician. Which means he will play a predictable, and ineffective, game of diversion while abusing public resources to unfairly boost his image before an inevitable
jump into the PC leadership race.
Paul MacNeill
