Harper slush fund favours Conservative Northern Ontario ridings
OTTAWA - Stephen Harper’s pork-barrel politics extends to Northern Ontario, where he let Tony Clement give Conservative ridings twice as much infrastructure funding as opposition-held ridings, a Liberal analysis shows.
Under the first comprehensive look at all of the stimulus funds in announced in Northern Ontario, the Conservatives gave their two Northern Ontario ridings an average of $35 million, compared to $18 million on average for the other eight ridings in the region held by opposition parties.
“The Harper Conservatives think some unemployed Canadians are more worthy of job creation projects than others,” said Liberal Infrastructure Critic Gerard Kennedy. “Otherwise, why would they give more than double the average to projects in their own ridings, at the expense of children, infrastructure and jobs in opposition-held ridings?”
“Once again we see this government treating taxpayer money like their own personal slush fund to try and buy the votes, while ignoring the needs of those who dared to vote for someone other than a Conservative.”
As reported by Tom Clark on CTV, the Conservatives aren't refuting the numbers or "statistics", because, well, they're FACTUAL.
About the only defence I've seen today, that Conservative MP's across Ontario apparently went to George Smitherman for stimulus dollars. The federal Conservative MP's didn't solicit funds from their own government, but instead relied on clearance from a Liberal provincial minister. Interesting that defence, if not entirely believable or part of the REAL WORLD. When you have nothing, you cling I suppose...
8 comments:
As an aside, Kennedy's latest finding would tend to refute the Con claim today about BIG "rural ridings".
I see Minister Tony Clement made sure his riding did well.
Must be a coincidence I'm sure.
Cons are claiming the disparity on spending is due to rural tidings being bigger geographically. Last I checked we are represented by population not geography. Just because the risings are larger geographically doesn't mean you have to fill it up with recreational facilities. How fiscally responsible is that.
You can almost smell their desperation. I love it.
tidings and risings = ridings.
Man do I hate my iphones assisted typing.
Jay
Are these northern ridings not the biggest geographically? Doesn't this finding by Kennedy completely refute that talking point?
George Smitherman did not agree with Kennedy.
First off, let's take this out of the partisan realm, because it isn't Kennedy, the media analysis replicates. As for Smitherman, he's referring to the big negotiations he's had with his federal counterpart, it doesn't speak to Con MP's who push things in their own ridings. Unless of course, people actually believe that FEDERAL Con MP's wait for approval on FEDERAL dollars from an Ontario Lib Minister?
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