Premier Wade MacLauchlan has filed his public disclosure statement with the conflict of interest commissioner.
MacLauchlan made the filing on April 8.
The disclosure statement lists all MacLauchlan’s sources of income over the last year. These include two pensions from the University of P.E.I., where he formerly worked as university president.
He also received director’s fees from Medavie Inc. and Medavie Health Foundation, consulting fees for a private consulting company he owns, as well as dividend income from Scotia Capital and from preferred shares in Island Abbey Foods.
He anticipates collecting only the income from the two UPEI pensions and dividend income from Scotia Capital in Charlottetown, as well as his salary as premier over the next year, the document states.
The disclosure statement also lists all of MacLauchlan’s assets, including some real estate holdings, shares in a few public energy, petroleum and banking companies and interests he holds a handful of local businesses.
All shares in private and public companies have been transferred to a trustee and any income derived from these assets will be income to the trustee.
The P.E.I. Progressive Conservative party has been making much of the fact MacLauchlan has not filed his disclosure statement until now, even including criticism about this in some of its recent campaign advertising.
Rules in the Conflict of Interest Act dictate the premier must file a disclosure within 60 days of being sworn in. MacLauchlan was sworn in on Feb. 23, so that deadline has not yet passed.
Lantz said Monday he still does not understand why it took until April 8 for MacLauchlan to file his disclosure.
“At first glance there doesn’t appear to be anything that would warrant the excessive delay,” Lantz said.
“It appears he was forced into doing it after having us pester him about it, which is not transparency, it just underscores the default position of this government which is to keep things behind closed doors until forced to bring things out in the open.”
MacLauchlan told The Guardian earlier this month he had been in contact with the conflict of interest commissioner and is well within the timelines for disclosure under the act.
