The Cambridge town hall was held by the Conservatives in order to deliver on a promise to the Liberals to provide four reports on the progress of the government’s recession-fighting measures, in order to secure Liberal support for the federal budget. The town hall acted as the 2nd report.
The Liberals likely intended these reports to be uncomfortable for the Conservatives, forcing them into the hot seat over government initiatives to combat the recession. Instead, Harper turned the demand for a report into a rally of sorts for the party faithful.
$108,000 Spent to Give Federal Budget Report
Invoices obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act show that the June 11 town hall cost taxpayers $108,000, according to The Toronto Star. Critics allege that this is just another example of the Tories using public money for their own political gain.
“I don't see why they couldn't have done this in the normal way and presented this report in Parliament, in which case it wouldn't have cost anything at all,” said Liberal finance critic John McCallum.
According to The Globe and Mail, $10,000 was spent on airfare, ground transport and hotels for the roughly 20 people who flew in from Ottawa, not including their meal expenses. The $10,000 does not include the use of Challenger, a government jet, by the Canadian Prime Minister and his staff which costs $11,000 an hour to operate.
About $30,000 was spent on audio visual equipment, set up, and staging. A further $10,000 was spent on buying the rights to photos and web images. Finally, almost $50,000 was spent printing copies of the government’s 234-page Economic Action Plan report card.
An outside editing service and a communication firm received $9,000 in federal money for services rendered, $5,700 and $3,300, respectively.
Response to the Conservative Government's Town Hall Spending
The Conservatives defended the spending, saying that it is the job of the government to take its message to voters across Canada.
“The prime minister has a responsibility to travel across the country and, despite what Ottawa media think, Canada is a lot bigger than Ottawa and part of the prime minister's job is to visit Canadians in all parts of the country,” said Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas.
The government delivered its 3rd report in a similarly splashy fashion – Prime Minister Stephen Harper rode into Saint John, N.B. on the front of a locomotive last month. The Tories have not yet announced where and when the 4th report will be delivered.
The government has attempted to portray these report cards as an act of transparency and accountability. However, in the wake of this past week’s partisan cheque scandal and the Parliamentary Budget Office report released 10 days ago, critics disagree on the government’s track record of accountability.
According to the report released by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the government has been so sparing with information that it’s impossible to tell what kind of effect the federal budget measures have had on the economy.
Allison McNeely - Allison McNeely is a Toronto based freelance writer. A recent graduate of McGill University, Allison is a political junkie and avid ...
