Premier’s office backs decision not to rehire B.C. auditor general

VICTORIA – Premier Christy Clark is backing a government committee’s decision not to renew the six-year contract of Auditor General John Doyle.

Clark’s communications director Ben Chin says the premier will not reconsider the decision by the Liberal-dominated committee to start looking for a replacement for Doyle.

Opposition New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix says Clark should step in and re-examine the decision to drop Doyle, whose investigations into government financial mismanagement and payments related to the BC Rail corruption trial have routinely embarrassed the Liberal government.

Clark is currently on vacation, but Chin says she will not embroil herself in the decision-making process of an independent legislative committee.

Liberal committee chairman Eric Foster says he is legally bound not to explain the reasons behind the decision against renewing Doyle’s term of office.

He did say the five-member committee is required by legislation to have unanimous consent to renew the contract of the auditor general, but the vote was not unanimous.