Today’s revelations from a leaked Auditor General’s report showing that passenger manifests for private government jets were manipulated to I order to allow former premier Alison Redford to fly solo are damming in the extreme. The report seems to raise the very real spector of that criminal charges could be laid.

Who leaked the report isn’t certain, although the government did have a copy of it prior to its releases, as per custom.

At a press conference today, Wildrose Finance Critic, Rob Anderson called on the government to call in the RCMP to determine if a criminal investigation – on the grounds of fraud and breach of trust – was warranted.

Solicitor General Jonathan Denis commendably did so later this afternoon.

This raises a real problem for the government, which is desperately trying to distance itself from the leadership of Alison Redford. If the three candidates vying to succeed Redford are to prove that they are serious about purging the government of any sense of entitlement, then they will have to take real, concrete measures to ensure that everyone who has participated in – or knew about – this scheme is held accountable for their actions.

This is an opportunity for the three PC leadership candidates to step up and show real leadership.

Here are a few things that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) believes that these men must commit to if they are to do that:

1. Release all staffers who have served under Alison Redford from non-disclosure agreements that they have signed during their employment or as a part of employment termination contracts. These people must be allowed to speak freely with investigators without fear of breaking their contracts.
   
   
2. If the RCMP launches a formal criminal investigation, remove Alison Redford from the Progressive Conservative caucus.
   
   Federal Conservative MP, Peter Goldring sat as an independent while under investigation and facing charges for alleged impaired driving. He was subsequently cleared and allowed to return to caucus. Alison Redford should be held to no less a standard.
   
   Mike Allen, MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, sat as an independent while facing charges after a prostitution sting in Minnesota. Redford herself expected that much of him, although he was later allowed back into caucus after being convicted. 

3. Fire all ministers, MLAs and staffers from their positions in the government and their membership in the PC caucus who are under investigation by the RCMP, or who knew about what was taking place and did nothing. 

4. Call a formal, Gommry-style inquiry into the operations of the premier’s office concerning expenses, travel, employment contracts and entitlements since Redford took office. The CTF, opposition parties and the media have bled a river of scandal out of the former premier’s office over the last two years. Are we to believe that we know everything now? There is ample evidence to suggest that we have only pulled a few strings out of the sweater. Taxpayers deserve to know everything that happened with their money, and only a full inquiry with the powers to compel evidence will do that.

5. Commit to enacting recall legislation. The only people qualified to demand that Alison Redford resign her seat in the legislature are her constituents. They deserve the right to act on that demand if they so choose.

This is a chance for Jim Prentice, Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk to do something concrete to purge the government of its sense of entitlement. Albertans are looking for leadership from these three men, and they should give it to them.