Still no explanation on $11-billion cuts and $30-billion F-35s
Stephen Harper still hasn’t explained how he can avoid massive cuts to public health care as evidence mounts about the out-of-control costs of his $30-billion F-35s and the $11-billion hole in the Conservative election platform, Liberals said today.
“Stephen Harper has not answered our questions about how he will pay for health care, or if he stands by his past statements,” said Bob Rae, Liberal candidate for Toronto Centre. “Mr. Harper has a long record of public statements opposing universal public health care in favour of private, for-profit delivery of health services – and given the risky spending and cuts in his platform, there is no reason to trust him.”
In an open letter to Canadians 10 days ago, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff asked Stephen Harper how he will pay for health care after the Health Accord expires in 2014. He also asked if Mr. Harper stands by past statements in favour of replacing the Canada Health and Social Transfer cash with tax points, which would leave a patchwork of health care services across the country and take away the federal government’s ability to guarantee universal public health care.
Liberal candidate for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Karen McCrimmon, pointed to the $14-billion gap that exists between what Mr. Harper says the jets will cost and what the experts say they will cost.
“Mr. Harper consistently ignores evidence about the spiraling costs of his risky, untendered F-35 deal, which are pegged at at least $30 billion – money that will be required when the Health Accord needs to be renewed,” said Ms. McCrimmon. “There is no evidence to back up Mr. Harper’s fictional claims about the F-35s, otherwise he would have produced it by now.”
Liberal candidate for Gatineau, Steve MacKinnon, argued that the F-35s are only part of the web of deceit Mr. Harper has spun, with an additional $11-billion hole in the Conservative platform.
“There’s an $11-billion hole in the middle of the Conservative platform, the vast majority of which can only be filled with cuts,” said Mr. MacKinnon. “Stephen Harper’s claims that he can make this up by consolidating the federal government’s computers and through attrition in the public service just do not hold up to scrutiny – and point towards his plan to cut public health care.”
A report this week made a mockery of Mr. Harper’s claim that he can find $4 billion in savings in the first year alone by consolidating the federal government’s computer system, showing that as little as $40 million would be saved. The same report found that even a 5% reduction in the federal workforce through attrition would only produce about $1 billion in savings. (iPolitics, April 17, 2011)
“Stephen Harper has proven again and again that he cannot be trusted,” concluded Mr. Rae. “He was found in contempt of Parliament for refusing to give Canadians the documentation to back up his claims about the F-35, he has no credible plan to fill the $11-billion hole in his platform, and he’s given Canadians no reason to believe that he won’t cut public health care.”
