Stephen Harper came into office promising to cut spending. Instead he’s become the biggest spender in Canadian history!
I‘ve been a businessperson and an entrepreneur for over 25 years. I know what it means to work within a budget; if I didn’t I would have been out of business a long time ago. I believe that Canadians deserve a government that makes sound decisions when they spend taxpayers’ money. The very stability of our families depends on it. Canadians cannot afford a government that spends our hard earned money unwisely. Faced with a deteriorating global economy in 2008, Mr. Harper said, “The way to manage this economy through difficult global times is not … to drive us into deficit.” But in one short year, between 2008 and 2009, Mr. Harper spent his way from a $12 billion surplus left by the Liberals to a mammoth $54 billion deficit. Much of that spending was wasteful.
Example 1: Harper’s Actions Parliamentary Budget Officer. In 2008 Harper appointed Kevin Page as Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer. Mr. Page’s job is to provide independent analysis of Canada’s finances and to keep government reporting of expenditures honest. Recently Mr. Page’s budget has been cut to the point where he can no longer be effective in the job the Tories asked him to do. Result: Out of Control Spending In 2009 Mr. Page told Canadians the Afghan war would cost a stunning $18 billion, far higher than the Tories suggested. He also predicted a substantial budget deficit while Finance Minister Jim Flaherty happily announced a surplus. Mr. Page, it turns out, was right. The deficit racked up by the Conservatives came in at $54 billion. Mr. Flaherty says he will balance the books by 2015. Not so, says Page. “There’s an 85% chance that the budget will be in deficit”. Example 2: Harper’s Actions G8/G20 Summit: Despite running the highest budget deficit in Canadian history the Conservatives hosted a gold-plated G8/G20 Summit in Toronto in 2010. Here are some examples of how they spent your money:
- over $667 million on security
- $2 million to build a fake indoor lake by the Gardiner Expressway.
- $100,000 on a gazebo
- $200,000 on a welcome sign
- $300,000 on a toilet
- $400,000 for a steamboat refit
- $160 million on hospitality, infrastructure, food safety and extra staffing
Result: Out of Control Spending Here’s a comparison with security spending at other G8/G20 meetings: 
Example 3: Harper’s Actions Fighter Jets: The Harper Government has committed $16 billion of Canadian taxpayers’ money to buy a fleet of 65 F-35 fighter jets. The Auditor General says this project is very high risk. Result: Out of Control Spending With such a high price tag you’d think the Tories might at least ask several fighter jet manufacturers for their bids. But they’ve only asked one supplier. Would you buy a car without first shopping around?
Hey, Big Spender, it’s time to STOP!
- Harper plans to spend $6 billion on prison expansion yet the crime rate continues to fall in all categories.
- Harper plans to give his corporate friends $6 billion in tax cuts. Those corporations already had their taxes cut by 35%. They now have the second lowest rate in the G7 and a 10-point tax advantage over the US.
- Harper’s personal office (the PMO) budget has ballooned by $10.5 million, a 30% increase over the last 2 years, so he can continue to control what he thinks we need to know.
WE MUST STOP THIS RECKLESS SPENDING.
Join my campaign to stop Stephen Harper’s reckless spending:
e-mail: kim@kimrudd.ca
