C48 - Jack Layton's $4.5 billion Blank Cheque (en francais)

Jack Pack # 2

If anyone is wondering what Jack Layton received for propping up the current Liberal administration - take a good look at Bill C-48 as it currently stands.

You would think $4.5 billion in new spending initiatives would involve a little bit of planning. Where are the details? How is this money going to be distributed? Where? Who will be controlling it?

The text of the bill basically authorizes the Finance Minister to spend $4.5 billion dollars, as approved by the Governor in Council, on four broad categories:

(a) for the environment, including for public transit and for an energy-efficient retrofit
program for low-income housing, an amount not exceeding $900 million;

(b) for supporting training programs and enhancing access to post-secondary education,
to benefit, among others, aboriginal Canadians, an amount not exceeding $1.5 billion;

(c) for affordable housing, including housing for aboriginal Canadians, an amount not exceeding $1.6 billion; and

(d) for foreign aid, an amount not exceeding $500 million.

Correct me if I'm wrong - but isn't this how we ended up with the HRDC boondoogle, the Gun Registry Black Hole, Adscam and others too numerous to mention. Two pages of text to explain how to spend $4.5 billion. If you presented a plan like this to a bank to get a Business Loan you'd be laughed back out onto the street. So why is it, we as Canadians are willing to accept this type of shoddy work from our Government.

Jack Layton is patting himself on the back for giving Paul Martin an excuse to spread another $4.5 billion in pork around the country with little or no planning or controls. This is good government and helping out Canadians?

Given the fact that Martin has committed to calling an election 30 days after Gomery reports, that gives us roughly 6 to 8 months to see what happens with these commitments.

Keep your eye on the ball everyone - or we're going to end up losing our collective shirts.