Thursday, February 05, 2009

Incoming

Wow, quite a day for the government. Watchdogs, from all quarters, piping in, none of it flattering.

Budget Officer Kevin Page, who is building an impressive track record for accurate predictions, unlike Deficit Jim:
Canada's parliamentary budget officer is casting doubt on the federal government's rosy projections in the budget, saying the recession will likely be deeper than expected and Ottawa's stimulus package smaller and less effective.

Kevin Page told a parliamentary committee Thursday the government's claimed $39.9 billion stimulus package over two years is effectively about 20 per cent smaller, at $31.8 billion.

And he adds that a portion of the smaller amount may not find its way into the economy because $10 billion is contingent on shared spending by other levels of government.

The difference will mean the extra spending is unlikely to create or save the 190,000 jobs projected by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Page said, estimating the number at closer to 120,000.

Our new Environment Commissioner, picking up where his predecessor left off:
"Due to the nature of federal-provincial trust funds, it will be difficult for the government to support its claim that the $1.5 billion it is spending on the Clean Air and Climate Change Trust Fund will actually achieve the target it has set for lowering greenhouse gas emissions," Vaughan says.

Environment Canada "conducted almost no analysis to support that figure," he reports. "The little analysis it did undertake is based on flawed assumptions -- for example, that all provinces and territories face identical opportunities, challenges and economic conditions for achieving emission reductions."

"Since the basis for the estimate is flawed, we cannot determine what a reasonable range of expected results should have been."...

OTTAWA — When the Conservative government walked away from Canada's Kyoto Protocol targets, it argued its less ambitious plan was more credible and based on “real, measurable and verifiable results.”

Scott Vaughan, Canada's new Commissioner of the Environment, says the government has failed on all three fronts.

Adjectives such as weak, poor, negligible and disappointing pepper the scathing review of two central and costly pillars of the Conservative climate-change plan.

"Weak, poor, negligible and disappointing", sounds about right. More evidence of our "leading the world" approach on climate change.

During the last election, Stephen Harper bragged about the Conservatives record on food safety. Auditor General Sheila Fraser:
Auditor-General slams food inspections

OTTAWA — Federal inspectors spend more time certifying Canadian exports of fruits and vegetables than making sure that the plants and produce that come into Canada are bug- and disease-free, the Auditor-General has found.

In a report released Thursday, Sheila Fraser called for greater protection of Canada's crops and forests, given the associated industries are worth $100-billion a year.

Ms. Fraser pointed to the threats associated with invasive plants, seeds, pests and diseases, and was alarmed to report that “high-risk imported commodities … are sometimes released for distribution without being inspected....”

"Accountability", the Conservatives consistent nemesis.

8 comments:

Old School Liberal said...

I can top that.

How about 78% of Conservative infrastructure money going to Conservative held ridings?

Steve V said...

Just saw that. Pork barrel spending too! "Vote Conservative Or Else".

Ted Betts said...

In Question Period today:

>> Michael ignatieff: Mr. Speaker, can the prime minister assure us -- can the prime minister assure us that his infrastructure spending will benefit all canadians, no matter where they live or who they vote for?

>> The speaker: The right honourable prime minister.

>> RT. Hon. Stephen harper: Well, absolutely, mr. Speaker.

Steve V said...

That was a nice set up, for Gerard's question.

Mike said...

Well, tell me again why you guys are voting for this again?

Come on, you knew THAT jab was coming from somebody. Better me than an NDP partisan.

Anonymous said...

Ok from an NDP partisan...how can the LPC caucus support this budget? It is fails on so many levels and we all knew that it did.

There was a shot right after prorogation that the coalition could have worked together to have an alternate budget ready. They could have been out there explaining and promoting.

Instead the pointy-heads in Ottawa decided the coalition was only a tactic not a strategy and now instead of having a real progressive govt that would have worked to bring Canadians real stimulus and a budget with bang for the deficit buck we have a govt that is going to used borrowed money for tax cuts and a hodge podge of programs that will fail miserably on all three of Ignatieff's supposed criteria.

Canadians will be left with little gain and lots of pain when some future government has to address the deficit with reduced revenue and anemic economic growth.

Thanks Iggy and crew.

Anonymous said...

The government is clearly out of touch here. While Kevin Page gives it to us straight, the CPC propagandists continue to spew nonsense that "the recession is halfway over".

Steve V said...

kheim

I've never understood why anyone cares what that batshit crazy ideologue thinks. He ain't a bit right :)