Pallister government can release fiscal audit after all

Since April, Premier Brian Pallisterhas said he can't release the fiscal performance reviewbecause it contains proprietary information.

But when CBC Newsrequested the document under the Freedom of Information Act, it wasdenied because it constitutes acabinet confidence.

A spokesperson for Manitoba'sOmbudsmansays, under the rules, the governmentmay choose to disclose cabinet confidences.

"The cabinet for which the record was created may give consent to disclose the record," wrote the spokesperson.

For months following the 2016 election Pallister and Finance Minister Cameron Friesen touted their fiscal performance review and the government subsequently hired consultant firmKPMG to carry out the work.

Both men promised repeatedlythe public would get to see the work behind the recommendations that would follow.

Pallister was specific in his promise 97 per cent of the results would be made publicminus the names of civil servants who had been canvassed for their opinions.

But the premier did an about-face in April, telling the press that he could not release the material because it wasn't his to hand out.

"My understanding wasn't that a lot of this information would be proprietary at the outset. And now I understand that it is legally my responsibility to protect the integrity of the process that was used. It's owned by the company that helped guide us," Pallister said.

• PC government won't disclose contents of KPMG audit, review reports

In fact, the tender documents that KMPGresponded to in order to get the contract stated anything the company produced for the government became the government's property.

NDP MLA James Allum calledthe refusal to let the public see the KMPG audit a "deliberate attempt to mislead the people of Manitoba," and saidPallister has been making excuses that simply aren'ttrue.

"He certainly could release it and if he doesn't he needs to make better reasons for doing so rather than fabricating reasons, all in an effort to hide the austerity agenda that has yet to be revealed," Allum told CBC News.

Allumsaidthe refusal appears to be an attempt to hide the government's "austerity agenda," and saidPallister talks a lot about transparency and accountability but doesn't practice it.

A request for an interview with Pallister or comment on the issue was declined "for now" by a spokesperson.