PNP joins calls for auditor general to probe CLA

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has joined calls by workers of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) for the Auditor General's Department to "urgently investigate" allegations of mismanagement at the entity. 

The CLA regulates the ganja and hemp industry, and is an agency of the Aubyn Hill-led Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce. 

More than one dozen workers have called for Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis to probe the CLA, pointing to a "total lack of transparency" since the disbandment of an oversight committee  in January shortly after it voted against an applicant who was subsequently hired. 

PNP Spokesman on Investment, Trade and Global Logistics Anthony Hylton said reports suggest that "individuals are being hired based on political affiliation rather than qualifications, leading to the abandonment of established human resource policies, including a committee dedicated to vetting employment applications". 

"The alleged dismantling of the guardrails set up to ensure integrity in the hiring, promotion, and separation of staff members opens the possibility of the agency being captured by individuals without the necessary credentials to manage a sensitive body such as the CLA, which is charged with enforcement responsibilities," Hylton said in a statement on Friday. 

Hylton further stated that "the loosening of hiring and retention oversight at the CLA comes against the background of earlier attempts by the parent ministry to permit the importation of cannabis or its extract from Canada for questionable purposes”.

The Opposition Spokesperson said the PNP is concerned that the ongoing public controversies surrounding the CLA "have exposed dubious human resource practices and compromised corporate governance frameworks, not only within the CLA but also across multiple agencies under the parent ministry".

The CLA's chief executive officer, Farrah Blake, has not responded to questions The Gleaner submitted last month. And, the ministry said it was not aware of complaints of bad human resource practices at the entity. 

In January, the Human Resource Executive Committee rejected a candidate for the position of director of human resource management and administration, citing insufficient qualifications. It suggested considering the candidate for a procurement division role instead.

Shortly after the vote, the CEO dissolved the committee, citing a need to review its terms of reference. The committee has not been re-established since.

The candidate was hired in February but resigned in May.

Since the committee's disbandment, at least 10 positions have been filled, along with numerous reassignments and contract non-renewals. Concerns have arisen about new hires in areas such as administration, client facilitation and HR not meeting basic requirements; positions not being advertised, and individuals being confirmed in roles without interviews or before completing probation.

According to the CLA's Human Resource Policy and Procedures Manual, the CEO is “ultimately accountable for the exercise of the human resource management functions of the authority” and “in carrying out such functions, the CEO shall establish accountability mechanisms, to include a Human Resource Executive Committee". 

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