Chuck proposes more professions be represented on Integrity Commission

 

Government member of the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Integrity Commission Act, Delroy Chuck, has proposed an expansion of the professions represented on the commission. 

 

Mr. Chuck said he wants to see a senior attorney-at-law and a senior chartered accountant added to the list of commissioners.

 

"First of all, if you notice subsection (b)(2), senior retired public officials. I mean, in other words, what about members of the private sector? That is why I mentioned a chartered accountant and a senior attorney-at-law. You see, a senior attorney-at-law, many of them may not even be fully in practice. The same with many chartered accountants. I mean, one of the retired commissioners now was a chartered accountant in practice, and he didn'y have a problem. And I think, Chairman, we need to expand this beyond retired public officials," he suggested. 

 

Meanwhile, opposition member of the Joint Select Committee, Dr. Morais Guy, has called for the status quo to be maintained.

 

"If you look at precedence, let's look at Mr. Wayne Powell, who is currently a commissioner, or was. He was never in the public sector.... He worked with Scotiabank, and Scotiabank is considered a prominent non-governmental organisation that appears to be well established. So we have a precedent where somebody who has never been in the public sector has been appointed. And it depends on how you interpret what (8)(b)(3) says, because he doesn't

fit in any other category. So I am just saying, as I said, Chairman, I don't think we need to tinker with this particular provision here," said Dr. Guy.