Harper’s transparency wearing thin
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/04/2015 (3820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Harper government rode the sponsorship scandal all the way to 24 Sussex Drive. And with good reason. The sponsorship program implemented under former prime minister Jean Chrétien was judged by the auditor general to be severely mismanaged. It was linked to significant corruption, with millions of dollars siphoned to Liberal-friendly companies.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed a new era of accountability upon his election in 2006 and tabled the Federal Accountability Act. Canadians were supposed to sleep soundly, safe from taxpayer-funded government golf balls, labelled “small town cheap” by Justice John Gomery who was tasked with getting to the bottom of the sponsorship deals.
The bloom has certainly come off the Harper government rose in terms of accountability and transparency.
In 2010, it was criticized for doling out money to constituencies using giant cheques with Tory logos. Bigger than golf balls, for sure.
In 2011, there was gazebo-gate. Then-industry minister Tony Clement used a $50-million government program — the G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund — to pretty up his riding with parks, walkways and gazebos. The auditor general was unimpressed, and a report made clear that rules were broken.
In this federal budget we see yet another infrastructure program that smells just a bit fishy, and one has to wonder whose gazebos are getting built and who’s logo is on the cheque paying for it.
The Canada 150 community infrastructure program was part of Tuesday’s budget. It is completely separate from the $210 million earmarked to support activities and events over four years that celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017. Instead, this program creates a “new dedicated infrastructure fund to support the renovation, expansion and improvement of existing community infrastructure in all regions of the country as part of the Canada 150 celebration.”
It’s not clear how much money this will cost. That wasn’t included in the budget. The new investments will be cost-shared with municipalities, community organizations and not-for-profit entities. As the budget states: “Community-based facilities contribute to the quality of life in small communities and large urban centres across Canada. The 150th anniversary of Confederation provides Canadians with an opportunity to celebrate Canada’s history, heritage, values and future by reinvesting in community infrastructure across the country…”
It’s not known when this will happen, but it’s expected that funding will be in place soon.
So connect the dots here.
The federal election is expected in October.
The federal government has announced a new fund for infrastructure spending in communities.
The Harper government is feeling the pinch in the polls.
Conservative MPs are heading into their constituencies for summer barbecues and town halls.
Let the ribbon-cutting begin.
Now, pork-barrel politics is nothing new. Incumbent government MPs always have the upper hand because they can inject government money into their ridings ahead of a federal election call without running afoul of election-spending laws. They can use that spending to keep constituents happy. Government ridings in jeopardy are often targets of government largesse just before the writ has dropped.
But when you’ve won power and hobbled the Liberals — once thought of as Canada’s natural ruling party — on the basis of better accountability, better transparency, less obvious politicking, then its important you follow through.
The Harper government is a powerhouse right now in Canada. If it wins in October, it will be the first Conservative party since 1891 to win four straight elections.
Sad that it has to rely on questionable tactics to do so.