On the weekend, the Harper Conservatives re-released selective data of regular infrastructure projects from the Building Canada Major Projects Fund announced two years ago which have nothing to do with the $10.8 billion in new infrastructure stimulus money requisitioned to fight the recession.
“The Harper Conservatives have nothing to refute our research showing Budget 2009 economic stimulus funds are failing to create jobs and are being used as a partisan slush fund,” Liberal Infrastructure Critic Gerard Kennedy said today.
“They’re trying to deceive Canadians by comparing old infrastructure promises to current economic plan announcements and they’re hoping the public won’t be able to tell the difference.”
The BCF Major funds are not subject to stimulus rules or timelines and their release just clouds real accountability by the Harper Conservatives. Several of the projects have been announced several times already, and most are not underway. It is noteworthy that, according to the government’s own annual report, less than five percent of budgeted dollars for this fund was actually spent despite many often repeated announcements.
Despite unprecedented public outlays in the 2009 Budget, the Conservatives continue to evade public accountability for their spending announcements by consistently hiding real data that has been requested by the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Opposition, independent watchdog groups and many media outlets.
Meanwhile, four independent studies have shown that the Conservatives are using the Recreation Infrastructure Canada (RInC) program as a slush fund for their own ridings. Mr. Kennedy noted the Conservatives’ response has only been several weak excuses, including that idea that RInC funding was meant for small communities.
“The program has been advertised to renew all rinks, pools and parks and there should be no discount for children who need them in larger centres,” Mr. Kennedy said. “In fact, the Conservatives also shortchange small communities that are not in their own ridings.
“Make no mistake, the government’s regular infrastructure funds are also biased. The Harper Conservatives conveniently left out the Building Canada Fund component for communities under 100,000 and we look forward to filling that gap for the public shortly.”
