August1991 Posted October 11, 2008 Report Posted October 11, 2008 (edited) Earlier, during an interview in Montreal, Layton said an NDP government would spend federal money to bring back the Canadian Grand Prix, a now-defunct Formula One race he described as a vital part of Quebec's tourism industry.The NDP would partner with the city and the province to help restore the event, which was cancelled earlier this week by F1 organizers. CPLayton supports a noisy, polluting car race for the rich? WTF? Please, no. First, the Formula One is a useless addition to greenhouse gases. Second, Bernie Ecclestone is a smart promoter who wants money and has raised this in a federal election on the cusp of a provincial election. Third, Montrealers love bread and circuses. Fourth, spending $30 million of public money for $100 million (or even $150 million) of retombées économiques misses the point. What is the net benefit (profit) to bars/restaurants? $10 million? Why should the government tax people $30 million so that a few people gain $10 million? Well, if I were a bar owner on Crescent Street, I can understand why I'd want government support ($30 million) for this "cultural event". According to Michel Rivard, "culture" means a poor Quebec singer who wants to go to a festival in provincial France. There's no mention of Formula One fast cars. ---- I was appalled that Michael Fortier agreed to meet Gerald Tremblay (mayor of Montreal, he's said publicly that he'll vote Conservative) to discuss financing the Formula One race in Montreal. Finance Formula One but not culture? The Tories have utterly, totally bungled their campaign in Quebec. The Conservatives do not deserve a majority and Stephen Harper deserves personally all of the blame when Canada dissolves. He had the chance to make Canada whole and he threw it away. I now think that the Bloc will win about 55 seats in Quebec and the Liberals about 15 or so. The Tories will be lucky to win 5. Harper deserves all of the blame for this spectacular lost chance. Edited October 11, 2008 by August1991 Quote
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