“Catch phrases can catch up with you” MP Carol Hughes
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
The Auditor General gave the Conservative government a $3.1 billion dollar black eye this week when he revealed that amount of money is missing in action from Canada’s anti-terrorism efforts. Stephen Harper says this is just ‘an issue of lack of clarity,’ but for a party that rode into Ottawa on a horse called accountability it is much more than that. The Conservatives replaced the Liberals who had been caught with their hands firmly in the cookie jar using public money to keep their party afloat in Quebec. If you recall, it was dubbed the sponsorship scandal and included brown paper bags of money that flowed to party operatives. Instead of fighting for national unity, the Liberals used public money to keep their party machine afloat. Once caught, it was a one-way street to the opposition benches while a new government was elected on the promise of accountability and transparency. The Conservatives were then re-elected boasting a self-styled reputation as strong economic managers, but it appears that is more a case of sloganeering than truth. Money is tight in Ottawa. We certainly don’t ever have enough to waste it, and without proper record keeping that is what has happened. Accountability, transparency and fiscal management have been tossed aside repeatedly for the sake of convenience. It’s not just anti-terrorism spending that has gone off the rails. Recall the border improvement initiative that saw $45 million find its way into Tony Clement’s riding to gussy the place up for the meetings that preceded the G-8 assembly in Toronto. The G-8 itself turned into a colossal exercise in over-spending highlighted by a $2 million fake lake at a temporary media facility. Those meetings should have been held somewhere that was more economical to secure, if the government chose to focus on actually being good money managers – but they didn’t. $3.1 billion is not the kind of money you lose in a sofa. For every family struggling with the high cost of food, shelter, and energy the sting of a government that cannot say what they have done with so much money is sharp. For the tourism based businesses on Manitoulin Island struggling to understand why the government is digging in its heels about who should pay for modest refurbishments to allow the Chi Cheemaun ferry to even set sail this year, it can’t be welcome either. Imagine that the government is able to call misplaced funds of the magnitude the Auditor General revealed ‘an issue of lack of clarity,’ but are willing to see $35 million worth of economic activity placed at risk because they are suddenly saying the well is dry. Square that circle – I can’t. It certainly isn’t transparent, accountable, or anything remotely resembling strong economic management. Think about that as you see an endless parade of self-serving, taxpayer funded advertising in expensive time slots designed to make you feel that the government has an economic plan. Then ask yourself if your best interests or those of your community are part of that plan.
