Dear Ms. Fraser:
I am writing to you today to formally request that you conduct an audit into the government’s expenses for security measures at the upcoming G8 and G20 summits.
In the Supplementary “C” Estimates of the Conservative government’s March 2010 budget, $179 million was earmarked for security for the G8 and G20 meetings. As you may be aware from extensive media coverage yesterday, it has been revealed that the final price tag is, in fact, more than six times that amount. It currently sits at $1.1 billion – and could rise further.
While we do not dispute the fact that effective and efficient security is vital when world leaders are involved, we believe this amount to be excessive. It is more than the cost of security for the entire 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and almost six times the approximately $190 million spent for the two-day G8 summit in Kananaskis, AB, in 2002.
It is also more than 20 times the total reported cost for the April 2009 G20 summit in Britain, and much higher than security costs at previous summits – the Gleneagles G8 summit in Scotland in 2005 was reported to have spent $110 million on security, while the estimate for the 2008 G8 gathering in Japan was $381 million.
We believe the cause of this skyrocketing security bill is the result of improper planning and foresight. Had the government handled this matter competently, they would have known from the start that the original summit location of Huntsville presented its challenges, and a more practical and affordable solution – other than downtown Toronto – could have been found.
As such, we are requesting a full accounting by your office of how this matter was handled, and a summary of how this $1.1 billion is being spent.
Canadians deserve an explanation for this excessive use of their money. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mark Holland, MP
Liberal Public Safety Critic
