Harper Conservatives wasting regional development money on political pet projects instead of saving jobs

OTTAWA - The Harper Conservatives should be spending money for regional development in a way that promotes regional fairness, spurs job creation and stimulates local economies - not on pet projects for political gain in Conservative ridings, Liberal MPs said today.Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal Western Economic Diversification (WED) Critic, and Alexandra Mendès, Economic Development for Québec Regions Critic, were reacting to the news that the Harper government doled out $440 million for thousands of pork-barrel projects across provinces where Conservative MPs dominate. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation, which released details through an Access to Information request, said the government funded everything from flag poles to school murals - veering from WED’s mandate to invest in small business, research and innovation, and increasing trade.

Ms. Mendès pointed out that at the same time the Harper Conservatives were busy doling out funds from the WED, they cut the budget for Economic Development for Québec Regions by nearly half, from $405 million when Liberals were in office, to $240 million today.

“This type of pork-barrel politics is unacceptable at any time, but it’s particularly outrageous when Canadians across the country are going through some very tough economic times,” said Mr. Dhaliwal. “Liberals favour federal funding for regional economic development that will protect the jobs of today, and support innovative initiatives that will create the jobs of tomorrow - a vision clearly missing from this government that our workers desperately need.”

“The Conservatives appear to have given up on Quebec entirely and are punishing Quebec workers and non-profit organizations while they reward their own MPs,” said Ms. Mendès. “The Liberal party is the only alternative that can form a federal government to defend the interests of Quebec by using economic development to support long term economic growth.”

Mr. Dhaliwal concluded by saying that taxpayer dollars are being squeezed during this recession, making it even more important for governments to spend them wisely.

“This is just another example of why we need some clear oversight on how this government is spending Canadians’ hard-earned money. It’s why we have put them on probation - to ensure that all regions of the country will benefit from appropriately targeted and responsible spending,” he said.

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Contact:

Office of MP Sukh Dhaliwal
613-992-0666

Office of Alexandra Mendes
613-995-9301