Column: Polar lives on

By Andy Walker

SOU'WESTER

Even though the company itself is now defunct, Polar Foods International Inc. is slated to live on in the political realm for some time yet.

The company, created by the previous Conservative government through the amalgamation of six smaller seafood processing companies, was the largest private sector business failure in island history. It left island taxpayers on the hook for over $30 million.

Polar was a favourite target for the Liberals when they were in opposition, and before he was premier, Robert Ghiz made several calls for a royal commission.

Now that he is in power, he opted instead to ask the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Environment to look into the issue.

So far the committee has held one meeting and the tension on the all-party committee is plainly evident. The Tories have two members on the committee – Jim Bagnall (who was agriculture and fisheries minister in the last government) and Michael Currie (who as development and technology minister approved much of money lent to Polar)

Committee chair Bush Dumville offered some suggestions for how the committee should proceed. That didn’t sit well with Bagnall, who called the rookie chairman a "dictator."

The opposition member said it appears the government has already "mapped out" its work – something he argued should be decided by the committee.

Bagnall said Dumville has gone above and beyond his role as chair, an allegation Dumville strongly denied. Instead, he argued he was only trying to give some structure to future proceedings.

He said when the time comes for the committee to decide who it will hear from and where meetings are to be held, the committee members will have input. However Bagnall persisted, saying Dumville said publicly the committee would be holding hearings across the province.

That exchange will likely be just the opening salvo in what promises to be a highly partisan exercise. The Liberal membership on the committee will see this as an opportunity to embarrass the previous administration. The two Tory members will be defending the decisions of the past.

Given this environment, it is hard to see anything new or anything of lasting value coming from the sessions. Instead, it will probably result in little more than political theatre.

The committee will ramp up its hearing schedule in the New Year and is slated to make a report to the spring session of the house.