The CTF suggest Harper contradicts his own beliefs

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is on the whine again.

A new report says the Harper government used the guise of "economic diversification" to pour hundreds of millions of tax dollars into a booming western economy.

Of course they did it under a "guise". If they did it up front people would criticize them at the time they did it. They're conservatives - they have to pay off their friends.

It's all been handled under the Western Economic Diversification fund, which has paid out more than $440 million across the four western provinces since the Conservatives came to power in January 2006.

A party with a western power-base pours money into their power base. As corrupt as it appears, it's not that terribly strange. And they are, after all, conservatives - they have to pay off their friends.

Before becoming prime minister, Stephen Harper railed against regional subsidies.

That was then. This is now.

An exhaustive Access to Information search by the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation found that the Tories have funded everything from flagpoles to school murals.

But look at all the useless things that have been shut down! Womens' shelters have been collapsing all over the country, including the west. At least with a school mural there's a good chance one of them will include an image of Harper himself.

Priorities people. Priorities.

Kevin Gaudet of the taxpayers' federation says if the projects are worthwhile, they should be paid for in a more direct and transparent fashion.

He questions why Ottawa was spending "crazy money" during boom times in areas of the country that were "rolling in dough."

Really? Is that all he wants to know?

Votes.

The conservatives have to buy them. In that single regard, it doesn't make them all that much different from any other political party holding the reins of government.

Wasn't that easy?

Fiscally conservative at $3.9-million an hour

"From June 2nd to September 4th, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) tracked 293 pre-election spending announcements totaling $8.8-billion made by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. That is roughly $94-million a day or about $3.9-million every hour."

The CTF, formerly Steve's very good friends, have been pissed with him for some time now and have published this handy chart of spending gems from which to more accurately get your hate on. While $4B was earmarked for Quebec infrastructure just yesterday, my personal fave has to be the admittedly rather smallish grant to create a festival in Shag Harbour, N.S., to commemorate a 1967 UFO sighting. According to their website, someone will be onsite painting aliens on rocks.

Meanwhile, amidst all this electoral largesse, the Attawapiskat kids in northern Ontario are expected to wait another eight years before they can have a school. Maybe they should start looking around for some UFOs.

h/t Challenging the Commonplace
Cross-posted at Creekside

Canadian Taxpayers Federation CPoC Hackery

Buckdog takes a bite out of the ass of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as a result of this press release:

“Do You Think It’s Easy to Hail a Cab?”
Access to Information documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reveal that Stéphane Dion’s chauffeur billed taxpayers $14,225 for Montreal hotel and travel expenses. In addition, documents show during the 2005 Kyoto conference in Montreal, Mr. Dion opted to lodge at a hotel at a cost of $5,548, even though he maintains a residence in Montreal where he is the Member of Parliament for Saint-Laurent–Cartierville.

I don't know. Is it? Why doesn't the Canadian Taxpayers Federation check with Heritage Minister, Bev Oda? (Michael Savage MP, Dartmouth-Cole Harbour) (Emphasis mine)

Last year Halifax was delighted to host the Juno's. In fact, Nova Scotia is one of the cultural capitals of Canada. We were delighted to have the Juno's for a number of reasons, one of which was the economic boom that it brought to Halifax. Taxpayers, however, were not aware of the extent to which the heritage minister contributed to that economic boom by the use of taxpayers' dollars.

I have the bill for the limo services that were used by the minister while she was in Halifax. It is interesting to note that she arrived on March 31 and left on April 3. On March 31, two different limousines were required. In fact, one was a mini-van and one was a limo. Apparently the mini-van was not good enough and the limo was requested. It took two orders to get her into the Delta Barrington.

Later that day she had another limo from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for three hours. That evening she required a stretch limo from 4:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. It was on standby, meaning it was not even used. It was just sitting there being charged to taxpayers while she was doing other stuff, some of which could have been business, some of which could have been personal.

On April 1 a sedan limo from 9:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. was used for seven hours. Most of that time the limo was on standby. Later that evening, a stretch limo was required from 5:30 p.m. until 11 p.m., with a half hour break, and then another limo from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. That was hospitality night, and the minister should go to some of those.

The hotel the minister stayed at, the Delta Barrington, is exactly one-tenth of one kilometre from where the Juno's took place. The hospitalities were all in the same general area as well. The Economy Shoe Shop is a great place and one that I would recommend to many members for the artichoke dip. It is a great spot. It is where CTV had the big bash. Did the minister really need 7.5 hours of stretch limo on standby while she was inside the Economy Shoe Shop, which is less than one-tenth of one kilometre from the Metro Centre? The Metro Centre and the hotel also happen to be connected by pedway and underground tunnel. It seems a little excessive.

The next day she used a stretch limo. The day after the Juno's it says here that a stretch limo was on standby from 12 noon until 5:30 p.m. That evening, two sedan limos were required for standby for the red carpet walk event. So even when she walked, she needed limousines. It boggles the mind. After the Juno's a stretch limo was required from 11:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. The next morning a stretch limo took her out to the airport.

The total bill for limousines for the approximately three days that the heritage minister was in Halifax was $5,475, of which she repaid $2,000, leaving $1,000 a day for stretch limos to the taxpayer. [...] Why did the minister break Treasury Board guidelines, try to hide her expenses, and not post them on the website?

I have no problem with tax watchdogs taking a swipe at any politician for sticking their snouts too deep into the trough... provided all politicians are subject to the same scrutiny. If you type Bev Oda's name into a search at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation website it returns absolutely nothing. Zippo. Nada!

As Buckdog points out, Conservative cabinet minister and general slimeball Jason Kenney is the former president and CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a so-called non-partisan group.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation: taking Conservative Party hackery to a whole new level.