OTTAWA- The Conservative government must immediately come clean and share with Canadians the details of their upcoming cuts to government programs and services, said Liberal Treasury Board critic John McCallum today.
“Despite the fact that numerous well-respected economists and financial organizations, including the International Monetary Fund, have urged this government not to make cuts too swiftly during a time of economic weakness, the Harper Conservatives seem determined to proceed regardless of the costs to Canadian jobs and the economy,” said Mr. McCallum. “Canadians deserve transparency and accountability from the government during the process.”
In a letter to Treasury Board President Tony Clement, Mr. McCallum expressed concern that the Conservative government is operating under a cloud of secrecy, refusing to share what is being cut through its Strategic and Operating Review. Last week the Treasury Board explicitly forbade government departments from providing details about any cuts in their upcoming annual reports to Parliament.
“When I chaired the Liberal Government’s Expenditure Review Committee, we published every cut and every reduction so that Canadians could see what our government had planned,” continued Mr. McCallum. “We conducted an extensive consultative process that was thoughtful and balanced, and we had nothing to hide when we were done. In contrast, under the Harper Conservatives we have seen a slow leak of ideologically driven cuts to science and the environment, veterans, women’s groups and the Old Age Security program.”
“Canadian taxpayers deserve better than this and we expect that the Harper Conservatives will treat them with respect by providing up-front, line by line details of what is being cut through the Strategic and Operating Review,” concluded Mr. McCallum.
Background:
John McCallum’s letter to Treasury Board President Tony Clement can be viewed here.
