Political Firestorm On PEI Media Out To Lunch

By Stephen Pate – When Premier Robert Ghiz resigned last week to spend more time with his family, no one really believed it. However the local media, entrusted to the CBC and The Guardian, dutifully reported the story as gospel truth.

The real story seems to be unfolding on a small blog called “Red Like Me” written by Rob McEachern, a man who has more facts about PEI politics despite being banned from the Legislature for an outburst years ago.

According to Red Like Me, Premier Ghiz resigned only hours after an investigative report was issued linking the Province to international gambling interests. Apparently the contents are so volatile the government wants to call an election before the public finds out.

The scandal is not gambling.  PEI is part owner already in Atlantic Lotto with the other provinces. Apparently the Finance Minister and others in government are implicated in a new side-bet on gambling with their wives as hidden shareholders.

None of the real story is in The Guardian, the Transcontinental newspaper that covers PEI like the fog. CBC reporters actually have this story but the executive director of CBC news canned it as too volatile.

So the citizens of PEI are left in the dark, unless they check out Red Like Me who predicted the Legislature would be prorogue 2 days before the government signaled it was imminent. On November 17th, Red Like Me posted a story titled Ghiz May Try “McGuinty Shuffle”, Prorogue Legislature, Shut Down Questions?”

“In identical circumstances, Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty prorogued the Legislature and shut down questions so Kathleen Wynne could become leader as the public outrage with McGuinty cooled a bit. PEI Premier Robert Ghiz may use the tactic to his advantage and he appears to be setting the stage.

Difficult questions are flying around Charlottetown at a record pace with the exposed Securities Investigation results. Similarly disgraced with millions of pilfering in Ontario Hydro and the Ornge Helicopter scam, McGuinty resigned while shutting down the Legislature.”

Last night that story seemed so far from reality that no one took McEachern seriously, that is until the government introduced a non-binding resolution for an election at 8:57 PM last night.

This morning the CBC reported incredulously Early election debate slated for Legislature.

“The motion, seconded by independent MLA Olive Crane, to debate changing that date was tabled Tuesday night. The time stamp says 8:57 p.m., three minutes before the close of the evening sitting of the Legislature.

The motion concludes the current political circumstances may warrant the Legislature be dissolved, and a new election held outside the fixed election date.”

The CBC are pretending something is happening but they don’t know what with the phrase  “current political circumstances may warrant the Legislature be dissolved”.

That has to be the second biggest whopper told this week on PEI. CBC reporters know there is a report on gambling in circulation that points fingers convincingly at  the Ghiz government, especially the Finance Minister.  But the CBC is not reporting the story.

According to Red Like Me, Finance Minister Wes Sheridan denied in the Legislature last year that he was negotiating with Simplex and an international gambling consortium.  Red Like Me is publishing emails and memos from Sheridan that seem to substantiate the Finance Minister was working with Simplex for years. Wes Sheridan Invested A Lot in Gaming Strategy, His Political Days are Numbered

Premier Ghiz resigned for a reason, not the one given

The excuse one needs to spend more time with their family is one of the world’s two worst lies, right after “your cheque is in the mail.”

No one quits being the Premier of a province, or Governor, or Senator, of Member of Parliament with all the perks, pay and power unless they are forced out by health, power politics, scandal, or going on to a higher calling.

What could be a better job that being the Premier of PEI, a province so small that former Premier Joe Ghiz, Robert’s father, said you could do the job and be done by lunch.

To say the PEI media is dysfunctional would be a kindness. They are the same people who have fought for 5 years to keep NJN Network from reporting from the Legislature.  People with disabilities who are uppity enough to write stories about the disabled can’t be trusted with political stories on PEI.  CBC Blocks Human Rights Hearing

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow but I’ll check with Red Like Me first.

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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network