Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

JOHN FELDSTED -- Taxpayer funds to buy votes in major metropolitan centres -- meddling in provincial affairs


CBC NEWS: Ottawa to invest $1.3 billion in Blue line extension -- the investment corresponds to about a third of the expected total cost

CLICK HERE to read this story


It is hard to know where to begin with what is wrong with this announcement. For starters, it is just in time for the fall federal election.

Local infrastructure is a provincial jurisdiction. The federal government has no constitutional authority to spend money on local infrastructure unless:

  • The subway connects Quebec with another province or port; or
  • The subway is of benefit to two or more provinces; or
  • The subway can be declared of benefit to Canada as a whole.

Secondly, we have to look at populations and shares of cost. When sort through that:
  • The City of Montreal is putting up about $1.995 billion
  • Quebecers living outside of Montreal are putting up about $1.497 billion; and
  • Canadian living outside of Quebec are putting up about $1 billion.     

As a Manitoba resident I have a problem with subsidizing a subway in Montreal.

Budget 2016 committed $14.4 billion focused on accelerating federal investments in the short term by providing funding for the rehabilitation, repair, and modernization of existing public transit, green and social infrastructure. Additional funding was targeted towards post-secondary education and broadband access for remote communities.

Budget 2017 made an additional $81.2 billion of funding available across five priority infrastructure streams: public transit, green, social, trade and transportation, and rural and northern communities' infrastructure.

Our federal government has created two programs. The Smart Cities Challenge and the Canada Infrastructure Bank to manage about $96 billion in funding. It is apparent that the federal government wants to control which major infrastructure projects will be funded in cities and municipalities although this is a clearly a provincial jurisdiction.

To see how our funds are being spent, visit the Infrastructure Canada funding site.

$42.3 billion in funding covering 48,195 projects has been approved. That is a bit over 12% of our projected annual budget of $330 billion and we know very little about exactly where the funds have been spent. That is just over half of the funds currently allocated.      

Samuel de Champlain Bridge
$42.3 billion is a little more than double our annual federal deficits.

The spending is unconstitutional meddling in provincial jurisdictions that allows the federal government to make announcements and appear to be working for us.  We begin to understand how insidious and destructive this regime is.

It is unsurprising that two examples of Infrastructure Canada’s investments are in the $4 billion Samuel de Champlain Bridge connecting Montreal with her south shore commuter communities and now the $4.5 billion Montreal subway extension.

The federal government is unlawfully using taxpayer funds to buy votes in major metropolitan centres.

Federal preoccupation with meddling in provincial affairs to appear to be leading the nation instead of paying attention to its responsibilities has to end.   


John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interfor Moves Headquarters Out of BC as Forestry Crisis Continues

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Hypocritically Admits Natural Gas Power Was Needed All Along ~~ BC Conservatives

The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn't need. The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP's plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete. "You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn't matter," said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy.  "Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn't keep the lights on. It's a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more