I suspect that most Manitobans would agree that any time government agencies or officials are accepting brown envelopes filled with cash, there is a serious problem. Apparently, Health Minister Theresa Oswald and the NDP government don’t agree.

Last week it was revealed that the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Manitoba’s largest regional health provider, had a policy of accepting cash and a variety of other “extras” in brown envelopes from medical suppliers who had been given contracts by the WRHA.

The NDP government has been aware of this practice for some time and refers to them as “value-added” payments. Essentially, companies, such as those who make health equipment and pharmaceutical companies would send to the WRHA cash or other extras after being awarded contracts. Since 2000, these brown envelope extras have amounted to more than $20 million.

Since coming to light last week, the NDP government has tried its best to defend the  practice. But others, like University of Manitoba ethics professor Arthur Schafer, rightly question how this policy can be defended when it seems clear the brown envelope payments were intended to buy influence. Others have questioned whether these extras have impacted the awarding of contracts and therefore meant that the Manitoba government was not getting the best deal available when contracting out for equipment and services.

Not only has the NDP Minister of Health tried to defend the envelopes stuffed with cash, she has, so far, refused to be transparent about where the $20 million has gone and which companies have given it. Without this information, it’s impossible to know whether the money influenced who received contracts and whether it was at least used appropriately, even if it was inappropriately received.

The Leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party, Hugh McFadyen, has asked that the NDP disclose all of the records pertaining to this brown envelope scheme including whom the money came from and where it went. He has also asked that the provincial auditor audit the books of the WRHA to determine if there has been more money than reported changing hands between medical companies and the WRHA and where the money has gone.

As well, because Premier Gary Doer refuses to recall the Manitoba Legislature, there is no ability to directly question the government on this issue. At the very least, the Public Accounts Committee of the Manitoba Legislature should be called so that senior government bureaucrats and the NDP Minister of Health can be questioned about the practice of receiving envelopes with cash from companies bidding for government contracts.

Manitobans know that the normal way of conducting government business should not involve receiving envelopes filled with money from private companies looking for government contracts. The NDP need to start answering the very legitimate questions that surround this issue.