Happy Wednesday! Here’s my Hill Times Spin Doctors piece from this week.
In a recent letter to Conservative MPs and Senators, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would be sending Cabinet ministers across the country to hear Canadians’ views on the upcoming budget. What do you think of the initiative?
Fanning cabinet ministers out across the country for pre-budget meetings amounts to little more than an expensive exercise in public relations. After all, when has Prime Minister Harper ever truly listened to Canadians? It has long been evident that his government is intent on implementing its own agenda at any . If that agenda conflicts with the views and priorities of Canadians, we’re out of luck, and on the hook financially.
The fact that at least some of these “consultations” are by invitation only puts to rest any notion that the government actually cares about hearing from Canadians. The Prime Minister’s own parliamentary secretary, MP Dean Del Mastro, hand-picked the groups from whom he wanted to hear, excluded all other interested parties. Del Mastro wouldn’t even allow the public to attend his meeting, citing space constraints.
If Harper hadn’t run Canada back into deficit through years of wasteful spending and politically-motivated tax cuts, we wouldn’t now be faced with growing debt and 5-10% program spending cuts. So I won’t hold my breath for a budget that addresses the issues Canadians care about, like growing the green economy, addressing climate change, keeping people healthy, and strengthening our communities. If past budgets are any indication, we can expect to see large handouts to the grey, polluting industries of yesterday, and cuts to services and programs that help the most vulnerable Canadians.
Scridb filter