Last Updated on: 24th April 2014, 03:19 pm
1.1 Billion dollars and climbing. That’s billion with a B, and it’swhat the federal government plans to spend on the G8 and G20 summits next month.Give yourself a few seconds to get your head around that number. I know I needed them, and even after taking them I still don’t understand it.
Vic Toews can say everything he wants about how Canada is obligated to protect the world’s leaders while they’re here and how these costs have been budgeted for and are not a surprise, but it’s still completely ridiculous and out of line with reality. Have none of these people ever heard of a conference call? They’re pretty cheap nowadays. But Toews has an answer for that too, saying that meetings like this deal with issues that simply can’t be dealt with over the phone or via video conference. What these issues are remains an unanswered question, as does the question of if the Americans could spend $18 million on security when they hosted the G20 the last time and they’re complete maniacs in that area, why are Canadian taxpayers on the hook for $933 million? Even if you double $18 million because Canada is hosting both sets of meetings something doesn’t quite add up, and by doesn’t quite I mean it’s not even fucking close. I’ll even help the government’s case out and convert that $36000000 from American to Canadian money. Doing so brings the cost of security up to $37,790,494.97, which is still a tiny bit off from federal projections.
And here’s my other problem.
“This has been budgeted for, and the money is released as it is required,” Toews said.
This from the same government that never seems to have money to throw at anything else, such as shit Canadians actually need. Not sure if any of you folks have noticed, but our health care system could use a little work, and I bet $1.1 billion might be pretty helpful. Or if you don’t want to put it there, the Canada Pension Plan could use the cash bump especially now that all those baby boomers are hitting what’s supposed to be retirement age. There’s also the national debt. We should probably pay a bit of that sumbitch down at some point, no? Or if you want to be seen as the generous government that cares, why not help the provinces build affordable housing for the homeless and otherwise economically disadvantaged? I could go on,but it’s pointless and just making me more and more angry…so I’ll let this handy article do it for me.
The government is trying to justify what can’t be justified. With waste like this, it’s no wonderthey’re all so reluctant to let the Auditor General look over parliaments expenses.
