Opposition demands to reveal who called the police on immigrants protesting in the office of P.E.I. Business Development drew an emotional response from the innovation minister Friday.

Last month, Charlottetown police were called to remove a dozen Chinese immigrants who were staging a sit-in at a government office. They had come to P.E.I. under the Provincial Nominee Program, which provided visas for immigrants who could put up $200,000. Most of that money went for investment in an Island business, but some of it was a deposit. If they could prove they had lived on P.E.I. for a year they'd get back $25,000.

The protesters claimed they had put in their year, and the government was delaying returning the money. Police broke up the sit-in late in the afternoon. Opposition Leader Olive Crane was on her feet during question period Friday, demanding to know who called the police.

Brown said the buck stopped with him, and that he wasn't going to single anyone out.

"I am not going to stand up here today and hang bureaucrats, Madame Speaker," he said.

"I am not going to go out and fire a bunch of bureaucrats and try to put the blame on them."

After three minutes of being asked the same question, Brown finally admitted that while he didn't make the call, it was under his direction.

Bonuses questioned

Still on the question of the PNP, opposition MLA Mike Currie questioned Brown on bonuses paid to civil servants working on the PNP files.

Brown said the bonuses ranged from $2,000 to $25,000, and were well worth the cost. He said because the program was winding down, and so many new immigrants had to be processed, staff worked overtime and throughout the summer.

PNP ran from 2001 to Sep. 2, 2008, and attracted a few hundred applicants most years, but 2,000 applicants this year.

Currie asked for a more specific breakdown of the bonuses. Brown said he'd check to see if that information can be released under the province's freedom of information rules.

Union members excluded

The P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees issued a statement Friday saying none of its members received bonuses from the Provincial Nominee Program file.

President Shelly Ward said the program was handled by high ranking bureaucrats at Island Investment Development, and those bureaucrats are not members of the provincial civil service union.

Ward is concerned Brown is giving the impression government employees are getting paid bonuses. She said she'd like to see the day when front-line workers receive bonuses from government for the long hours they work.

Ward is demanding Richard Brown make a clarification in the house about who actually received extra money for working on the file.