StarBuzz Weekly,-OTTAWA - Today’s Auditor General Report on the 2010 G8 and G20 summits held in Muskoka and Toronto shows gross mismanagement and callous disrespect for public funds on the part of the Conservative government, Liberals say.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” said Liberal Leader Bob Rae. “Almost every decision, from location, to security to accommodation seems to have been made on the fly with little coordination between departments and zero regard for cost or practicality.”
In addition to exposing waste, the Auditor General took the Conservative government to task for using the summit as a pretext to spend millions of dollars on pet projects without the approval of Parliament. Fifty million dollars intended to improve border infrastructure was spent on Legacy Fund projects in Tony Clement’s riding which had nothing to do with the actual summit. Public servants were deliberately kept in the dark about how legacy projects were approved and the Auditor General noted, ˝Due to the lack of supporting documentation, we could not conclude on the process to choose the projects put forward… or determine why they were selected.˝
“They took millions of dollars from a fund designed to reduce border congestion and used it to build toilets three hundred kilometers from the nearest border crossing,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic Francis Scarpaleggia. “Meanwhile the Conservatives were busy shutting down actual border crossings in Quebec and Saskatchewan due to a lack of funding. It would be comical if it weren’t so outrageous. It will not be lost on Canadians that the Minister responsible for this egregious waste and mismanagement is now the Minister responsible for cutting services to Canadians.”
Given the chance to host the world’s most powerful leaders and showcase Canadian hospitality, the Conservative government made international headlines by racking-up an embarrassing billion dollar price tag. In fact, French President Nicolas Sarkozy bragged that France could hold a similar summit for a fraction of the price - France’s Interior Ministry has since said that the total costs for the Deauville summit was $20 million Euros ($29 million CDN) (Source: Le Parisien May 19, 2011)
“G8 and G20 meetings are an opportunity for the world’s most powerful nations to lead by example on everything from fiscal responsibility to democracy,” said Liberal Public Accounts Critic Gerry Byrne. “Unfortunately, by bungling the logistics of this summit and by creating slush funds for Ministers, the Conservative government overshadowed the groups’ important work, and missed an opportunity to lead the world.”
“It didn’t have to be this way,” said Liberal Leader Bob Rae. “Almost every decision, from location, to security to accommodation seems to have been made on the fly with little coordination between departments and zero regard for cost or practicality.”
In addition to exposing waste, the Auditor General took the Conservative government to task for using the summit as a pretext to spend millions of dollars on pet projects without the approval of Parliament. Fifty million dollars intended to improve border infrastructure was spent on Legacy Fund projects in Tony Clement’s riding which had nothing to do with the actual summit. Public servants were deliberately kept in the dark about how legacy projects were approved and the Auditor General noted, ˝Due to the lack of supporting documentation, we could not conclude on the process to choose the projects put forward… or determine why they were selected.˝
“They took millions of dollars from a fund designed to reduce border congestion and used it to build toilets three hundred kilometers from the nearest border crossing,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic Francis Scarpaleggia. “Meanwhile the Conservatives were busy shutting down actual border crossings in Quebec and Saskatchewan due to a lack of funding. It would be comical if it weren’t so outrageous. It will not be lost on Canadians that the Minister responsible for this egregious waste and mismanagement is now the Minister responsible for cutting services to Canadians.”
Given the chance to host the world’s most powerful leaders and showcase Canadian hospitality, the Conservative government made international headlines by racking-up an embarrassing billion dollar price tag. In fact, French President Nicolas Sarkozy bragged that France could hold a similar summit for a fraction of the price - France’s Interior Ministry has since said that the total costs for the Deauville summit was $20 million Euros ($29 million CDN) (Source: Le Parisien May 19, 2011)
“G8 and G20 meetings are an opportunity for the world’s most powerful nations to lead by example on everything from fiscal responsibility to democracy,” said Liberal Public Accounts Critic Gerry Byrne. “Unfortunately, by bungling the logistics of this summit and by creating slush funds for Ministers, the Conservative government overshadowed the groups’ important work, and missed an opportunity to lead the world.”
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