FEDS FLUB FESTIVE FUNDING

Feds flub festive funding while fiddling at the fringes of the problem.

The Federal Conservative government is facing widespread criticism for not providing any contribution to Toronto's Pride Week. This has engendered charges of homophobia against the Conservatives and provided another opportunity for the Liberals to heckle their ineptitude.

Had the Conservatives conformed to conservative principles they could have confirmed themselves as a party of principle and further demonstrated fiscal restraint.

Simple and straightforward conservatism from the beginning would have said:
1. We are in economic difficult times and it is time for fiscal restraint.
2. The Federal government will no longer fund projects that are clearly of local interest and benefit.
3. The initial application of this policy is that we will not be providing funding for local celebrations, parades [gay or sad], fireworks, rodeos, statues, parks, trails, and local beautification. All of these are examples of strictly local concerns where local analysis of costs and benefits should prevail. Instead of relying on other people's money they must learn to live within their own means.

Rather than a such a straight forward and relatively easy to administer policy the Federal government has spent a year of bureaucrats time craftily "restructuring the program" to define away the eligibility of the Toronto Gay Pride parade.

So now they stew in their own ill conceived past "policy" if the practice warrants the term. The original $400,000 grant which went to Gay Pride last year stirred up a storm of protest from a mixed bag of genuine fiscal conservatives, Christian fundamentalists, and the homophobic. Now they stir up a storm of protest from those of the alternative persuasions. No win, no win all over again.

The program in question "Marquee Tourism Events Program" had a nice ring to it. In truth it was a "Conservative MP's Hand Out Other Peoples Money in Very Large Cheques to Garner Popular Local Support" program.

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?
Taxpayers and voters are not stupid. They would have accepted without question the straightforward conservative policy.
Reference:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=3011070

Reply from Randy Kamp MP
Subject:
RE: losing faith
Date:
Thu, 3 Jun 2010 11:51:55 -0400
From:


Dan,

Thank you for your e-mail and for taking the time to write to me.

The gay pride parade to which you refer was funded in year one of a two-year stimulus program: Marquee Tourism Events Program (MTEP). The goal of MTEP is to provide a much-needed boost to the tourism industry which faced severe challenges at the beginning of the global recession.

Most of the funding in the first year went to the largest cities and the attempt was to spread out the year two funding to other regions and smaller cities. A number of events funded in year one did not receive funding this year, but 19 new beneficiaries did.

Regards,

Randy

Randy Kamp, M.P.
Pitt Meadows--Maple Ridge--Mission



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