The province’s Labour Minister is facing questions about his handling of the Skills Development Fund.
The Auditor General found much of the money went to projects that ranked-low, and many were given to organizations that supported the Progressive Conservative Party or worked with lobbyists to secure grants.
The opposition was rentless during the opening day of the fall session at Question Period.
NDP leader Marit Stiles blames the goverment’s close association with lobbyists.
“We’re seeing the Minister now hanging out in Paris and at Leafs games with those very same lobbyists,” says Stiles.
“I want to ask the Minister to come clean about his connections to lobbyists that have business before his ministry, or are we going to have to keep digging it up ourselves?”
The Parliamentary Leader for the Liberal Party goes as far calling for Piccini to resign.
John Fraser feels the Labour Minister broke conflict-of-interest guidelines for approving at $7.5 million skills training grant for a company whose lobbyist is a close personal friend of Piccini’s.
“What the Premier should be saying to the Minister is, you’re fired,” says Fraser.
“If the Premier doesn’t say that, here’s what this means. Because the Minister is clearly in conflict of interest. He’s admitted it. He’s used his influence to further his friend’s benefit, and and if you don’t think that’s wrong, that means he thinks it’s OK,”
David Piccini dismisses the calls for to step down.
He defended the fund, saying it has led to more young people and women taking part in apprenticeships.
“They got a career for life and we’re not going to apologize for that,” says Piccini.
