The provincial government has formally requested that the Auditor General conduct a “full and comprehensive review” of operations and spending at Memorial University. Finance Minister Siobhan Coady and Education Minister Tom Osborne will speak with reporters today at 12:30.

The AG has agreed to provide government with a report that will inform final amendments to the Memorial University Act, to be introduced in the House of Assembly.

The provincial government brought forward a new Auditor General Act in November allowing the AG to access information and audit the use of government funds. That included the repeal of Section 38(1) of the Memorial University Act to allow the Auditor General to determine if government funds are being managed efficiently and effectively.

The province says MUN remains the most heavily subsidized university in Canada, with 76.2 per cent of the university’s 2019-2020 general operating revenue coming from government grants. That compares to the Canadian average of 44.8 per cent.

The province contends that an “unbiased” overview of how the university spends that money is critical before changes to the Act are brought forward.