P.E.I. e-gaming loan authorized 2 days before election, Opposition charges

A controversial loanto theMi'kmaqConfederacy of P.E.I. for work on an e-gaming strategy was made just two days before the 2011 provincial election, theP.E.I.'s Official Opposition charged in the legislature Tuesday.

Opposition House Leader James Aylward sought details, butonce again government refused to provide any more information.

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"Government's own documentation shows this loan was placed in their system on Oct. 1, 2011," said Aylward during question period.

"This timeline becomes hard to follow, because Oct. 1 was a Saturday ... right on the eve of our provincial election," Aylward continued.

"How was this loan established and approved by government in the 11th hour of a provincial election campaign?"

"All the documents with relation to this file are going to the auditor general," responded Finance Minister Allen Roach.

"This is going to be looked at by the auditor general as well as the courts in other instances. When we get to that point ... we'll see the facts."

New revelations

The Opposition also revealed the Pat Binns government had been considering an internet lottery.

Aylward tabled a document showing Binns sought the legal opinion of the P.E.I. Supreme Court, which said the lottery would be illegal.

"But the Binns government of the day had the fortitude to at least gain a legal opinion," said Aylward.

The government response was unchanged: P.E.I's Auditor General Jane MacAdam is investigating the e-gaming controversy.

Roach said government delivered more documents to the auditor general Tuesday, and that they've given her more emails.

There's no word when the auditor's investigation might be complete.