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Tory ridings get more stimulus money


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I recall someone else had started a thread about this a while back but I can't seem to find it. Either way I thought I'd start a new one.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/22/...s-spending.html

Now I don't have a problem per se with the CPC funneling close to 60% of the stimulus money into their ridings which make up approximately 46% of the house. As noted in the article this is a very old ploy. I suppose what sticks in my craw about this, is it is yet one more example of the CPC promising to run things differently than the LPC did and then doing things precisely the same way.

First the senate appointments, advertizing their party on the federal dime, now they are spending more in CPC ridings then in the opposition ridings. Mr. Harper has become everything he claimed he hated about federal politics. I suppose what truly shocks me is that those who support the CPC, because they’re not corrupt like the LPC continue to support the CPC in spite of the fact that the longer they are in power the less distinguishable they become from the LPC.

I think the following quote sums it up rather succinctly.

"There’s this long tradition in Canada, a time-honoured tradition in Canada, of opposition roads not being paved and government-controlled roads being paved. That goes back decades."

But Donolo, a former communications director for former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien, said it's a dangerous game to play for political gain.

"It's probably more than offset by the bad odour, the bad optics that come from a government looking like it's playing politics with public money at a time like this," he said.

Chrétien was known to dish out government money to Liberal-held ridings. But Donolo said the problem for Harper is that he promised to do things differently.

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The Conservatives have always said that they've been working with the Provinces, who have in turn been working with the municipalities in prioritizing Stimulus projects. George Smitherman, Ontario's Deputy Premier gave the following quotes in an article that appeared in The Star today:

Contrary to what the federal Liberals charge, Toronto is not starved of federal infrastructure dollars, says Ontario deputy Premier George Smitherman.

Toronto ridings actually come out on top when it comes to the $2 billion federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program to fix up colleges and universities, said Smitherman.

He was responding to questions about Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy's assertion the Conservative government played partisan favourites while handing out stimulus dollars to help repair recreation centres, parks and arenas.

After crunching numbers on the pledged $500 million Recreational Infrastructure Canada fund, Kennedy concluded Toronto's 23 ridings – 21 Liberal and two NDP – received about 38 per cent less in stimulus dollars than the average Conservative riding, an average difference of $777,787.

But Smitherman said Thursday, "If you take a look at the much bigger program, the knowledge infrastructure program ... you'll see that Toronto actually comes out with a higher degree of investment than its proportion of population."

Smitherman, who is believed to be weighing a Toronto mayoral bid, conceded an analysis of the parks, rinks and recreational program does seem a bit more favourable to rural Ontario.

"And by coincidence, that happens to be where Conservatives represent those ridings," he said.

But once the billions in combined federal and provincial infrastructure dollars are handed out, Smitherman said he is "pretty confident" it will have been done fairly.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/stimulu...smitherman-says

Edited by Keepitsimple
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First the senate appointments, advertizing their party on the federal dime, now they are spending more in CPC ridings then in the opposition ridings. Mr. Harper has become everything he claimed he hated about federal politics. I suppose what truly shocks me is that those who support the CPC, because they’re not corrupt like the LPC continue to support the CPC in spite of the fact that the longer they are in power the less distinguishable they become from the LPC.

I think the following quote sums it up rather succinctly.

But George Smitherman, Ontario's deputy premier and his government's infrastructure minister, said statistical analyses that have made that case are based on incomplete data and that the Liberal government in his province sees no evidence that federal Conservatives are directing stimulus funding for political gain.

Ontario Backs Harper on Stimulation Spending

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The Conservatives have always said that they've been working with the Provinces, who have in turn been working with the municipalities in prioritizing Stimulus projects. George Smitherman, Ontario's Deputy Premier gave the following quotes in an article that appeared in The Star today:

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/stimulu...smitherman-says

The Liberal accusations of impropriety are falling on deaf ears precisely because they keep walking this delicate tight-rope between complete fabrication, and sheer ineptitude. One single cheque with a logo on it which the PM was clearly opposed to was spun as 180+ instances, the small rural community club projects going mostly to rural ridings was spun as most of the funding going to CPC ridings when the big money is going to the city ridings which are mostly LPC, bodybags that ordered by the nurse on the reserve was spun as the feds telling the aboriginals to just die, etc. The only thing the Liberals understand is lying, and they're totally confused when people don't listen to it anymore.

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The only thing the Liberals understand is lying, and they're totally confused when people don't listen to it anymore.

Seems like the focus has been on how the Tories are doing the opposite of what they said in Opposition about pork barrelling with people's money. The Tories are saying that Liberals are lying about this but plainly the photographic evidence is there to show Harper's people are taking credit in pork barrel politics.

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Seems like the focus has been on how the Tories are doing the opposite of what they said in Opposition about pork barrelling with people's money. The Tories are saying that Liberals are lying about this but plainly the photographic evidence is there to show Harper's people are taking credit in pork barrel politics.

Nice way of tring to change the focus, but the liberals were saying that the tories were not doling it out equally, now its been proven that is untrue.

I wonder if you will ever get dizzy from all the spinning you have been doing lately.

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Nice way of tring to change the focus, but the liberals were saying that the tories were not doling it out equally, now its been proven that is untrue.

Actually, the media were doing that in places like Nova Scotia. Wasn't the Liberals who did that report.

Other media started analyzing the numbers in other places as well.

The Liberals made the accusation but it was the media that followed up the story and had a hard time finding evidence that money was being spent equally.

Meanwhile, Tories campaign on their ability to bring pork barrel money to their ridings as if they are the ones cutting the cheques.

I wonder if you will ever get dizzy from all the spinning you have been doing lately.

I wonder if you get dizzy lying?

Edited by jdobbin
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Actually, the media were doing that in places like Nova Scotia. Wasn't the Liberals who did that report.

Other media started analyzing the numbers in other places as well.

The Liberals made the accusation but it was the media that followed up the story and had a hard time finding evidence that money was being spent equally.

Meanwhile, Tories campaign on their ability to bring pork barrel money to their ridings as if they are the ones cutting the cheques.

I wonder if you get dizzy lying?

Do you see a campaign, I don't. I see the CPC advancing the stimulus, the same stimulus I might add that both the Liberal Party and the NDP were ready to excute a coup on the government to force it to create and spend.

I don't lie, or mislead. I call them as I see them.

Edited by Alta4ever
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Do you see a campaign, I don't.

I see four campaigns going on right now.

I see the CPC advancing the stimulus, the same stimulus I might add that both the Liberal Party and the NDP were ready to excute a coup on the government to force it to create and spend.

And Harper ran to the Governor General in terror to stop it so that he could keep spending in Tory ridings.

I don't lie, or mislead. I call them as I see them.

So do I. And I am telling you what I see in your posts.

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And Harper ran to the Governor General in terror to stop it so that he could keep spending in Tory ridings.

So you have proof of this spending? Lets see it.

You have called me a liar but have provided no proof, just empty rhetoric.

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So you have proof of this spending? Lets see it.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/22/...s-spending.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politi...article1333239/

You have called me a liar but have provided no proof, just empty rhetoric.

I do call you a liar.

I expect that you will say that these reports are inaccurate.

And I will tell you to reveal what the actual figures are since even the Budget Officer has not got other numbers at this time despite many requests.

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Actually, the media were doing that in places like Nova Scotia. Wasn't the Liberals who did that report.

Other media started analyzing the numbers in other places as well.

The Liberals made the accusation but it was the media that followed up the story and had a hard time finding evidence that money was being spent equally.

Meanwhile, Tories campaign on their ability to bring pork barrel money to their ridings as if they are the ones cutting the cheques.

I wonder if you get dizzy lying?

It should be pointed out here in NS it wasn't the Conservatives where spending all the money in their own riddings it was that they weren't spending in Liberal ones. The Ridding which got the most money in NS was an NDP one not a Conservative one. However the Liberal riddings were all at the bottom of the list for spending. I tend to think it is because Liberal MPs don't work as hard as NDP ones.

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A Provincial Liberal in the Ontario government has already refuted the info presented in those articals, his statement was in the articals posted earler in the thread but you seem to have conviently decided to ignore them.

And he also said in the same article that it appeared as if some ridings held by Tories were getting more money. You conveniently ignored that.

Smitherman, who is believed to be weighing a Toronto mayoral bid, conceded an analysis of the parks, rinks and recreational program does seem a bit more favourable to rural Ontario.

So once again, stop lying.

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/22/...s-spending.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politi...article1333239/

I do call you a liar.

I expect that you will say that these reports are inaccurate.

And I will tell you to reveal what the actual figures are since even the Budget Officer has not got other numbers at this time despite many requests.

C'mon Dobbin - that's pretty harsh and I wouldn't expect it of you. The issue is not whether through various calculations, more money went to Tory ridings...the issue is whether there was any overt partisanship in selecting the "projects". Projects are chosen in conjunction with the Provinces and Minicipalities - that's a fact. George Smitherman has acknowledged that at this point in time, more money has gone to Tory ridings - but in working with the Harper government, he has not seen any unfair treatment and across all Federal funding envelopes, he expects things will work out equitably - that's a fact. The Smitherman article also pointed out that Toronto fared better than other parts on Ontario - and they have NO Tory ridings - that's a fact. And from one of the previous articles, here's a quote from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities:

In Ottawa, leaders of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities complained of delays in getting federal infrastructure cash out the door and they worried about the rules for some of the programs. But, they too, had no complaints about partisan interference.

"I personally have not heard anything about a conspiracy or the fact that perhaps the money was going to the wrong ridings for the wrong reasons," said Hans Cunningham, a vice-president with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the director of the regional district of Central Kootenay, B.C.

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C'mon Dobbin - that's pretty harsh and I wouldn't expect it of you. The issue is not whether through various calculations, more money went to Tory ridings...the issue is whether there was any overt partisanship in selecting the "projects". Projects are chosen in conjunction with the Provinces and Minicipalities - that's a fact.

It is also a fact that the U.S. has better disclosure of their stimulus funding and what outside analysts have been able to find thus far is spending that happens more in Tory held ridings.

If that isn't tru, tell the Tories to disclose the spending as they do in the States. I'm not the only one asking for this. Many analysts, some right of center, say this a problem.

George Smitherman has acknowledged that at this point in time, more money has gone to Tory ridings - but in working with the Harper government, he has not seen any unfair treatment and across all Federal funding envelopes, he expects things will work out equitably - that's a fact. The Smitherman article also pointed out that Toronto fared better than other parts on Ontario - and they have NO Tory ridings - that's a fact. And from one of the previous articles, here's a quote from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities:

And yet even Smitherman and others have said they noted that Tory ridings seem to be favoured more.

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As i said before the Tories had promised a website to show were our money was going but they don't have one and no one knows, outside of the Tories. SHOW US THE MONEY!!!!!! Also, you can't count any of the city that is a border crossing like Windsor, which is largely NDP, because the superhighway, for the so called free trade, 18 wheelers is a NA project.

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They aren't supposed to make a profit, and you can trust them as much as anything else that involves people and power.

We need some way of organizing ourselves and improving our society. Government is the best way that we've been able to find.

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I was listening to a radio program that suggested that just as saw the crash and failure of communism, we are now witnessing the collapse and failure of capitalism. That a new system will be installed which will be a mixture of the two. I found this interesting, has anyone else heard of this?

Edited by Mr.Canada
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