Both quotations are from this article in the National Post.
Jim Flaherty is again taking credit for measures set in place under Paul Martin’s watch as Minister of Finance, measures which the Conservatives and Reform Party fought against.
No one has suggested that funds have not been accounted for. The issue is that he and his party should be held accountable for such self-serving waste.
They were. There was an election and the electorate decided to punish them by giving them a majority government.
The election was before the Auditor-General’s report was published.
Really, it amounts to a lack of transparency on how the funds were to be spent, and ultimately how the funds were spent. But the fact of the matter is the funds were spent on infrastructure projects. I agree that it’s debatable whether or not these were infrastructure projects which contributed to the safety or the success of the G8 or G20 summits, but nonetheless every penny was accounted for.
It’s disappointing to me that funds were thrown about to essentially help buy election votes in Mr. Clement’s riding, but it’s a minor scandal in the overall scheme of things.
“Minor scandal” - 50 million dollars, including a hundred-thousand dollar gazebo is minor? The entire questionable spending and inquest of the Sponsorship scandal was under 20 million.
This is the problem with politics: people treat it like sport. It’s one thing to blindly root for a hockey team regardless of their success or failures, but when it’s your government, it’s another thing altogether. Fuck the words “Conservative”, “NDP” or “Liberal”- this isn’t a game anyone’s trying to win. What Clement did - the spending in his riding - was wrong, regardless of what bloody “team” he’s on and I have very little respect for anyone who claims otherwise or who claims he shouldn’t be held accountable for it. It’s disgusting.
The sponsorship scandal involved about $100 million.
Anyway, I said I was disappointed by the lack of transparency and the spending in general, but at least the funds actually were traceable to real projects. This is what makes it minor. You know, a lot of the spending went on things like water mains upgrades, road resurfacing, visitor kiosks, sidewalks, etc. Have a look here. These were actual, real, verifiable projects that even created jobs and helped local communities. I don’t care what “team” did it; it’s minor in nature.
I was going by Wikipediato get the numbers:
It wasn’t, as I understand it, 100 million of misspent money, but rather spending that totalled 100 million that included some misspent money. And so, I consider both - the Clement riding money and the sponsorship money - to be on the same level.
Per your own link, a lot of the money was spent in municipalities that had nothing to do with the G8 meeting, even had it actually been held in Huntsville (please tell me you picked up on the rather sarcastic tone of that article?). The money was from a Border Security fund - please explain to me what the hell that has to do with flowerpots and gazebos? Even in paving roads in towns not involved in the intended summit? It was irresponsibly spent, regardless of what noble “helping real communities” spin Clement and his government try and put on it. It should not have happened, and should not be dismissed as minor. I’m all for increased spending on infrastructure - I live in Montreal for God’s sake, I see the need rather desperately - but not by funneling funds intended for other things into the hands of friends and neighbours.
Of course I picked up on the intended sacrasm; it’s a freakin’ CBC article!
For the third time now, I will also state that I am disappointed in the spending. Not all of the money was irresponsibly spent though. As you could see, some of it was on real infrastructure and not all gazebos and flower pots.
Jeesh, hockey season can’t start soon enough. We need more pressing issues to disagree on! 
Just for shits and giggles, lets move to Huntsville and go on the dole.
No, it’s not minor. I’m completely with mnemosyne and the Auditor General on that one. Misappropriation of funds by a cabinet minister is a serious breach of the public trust. I expect more from the people who represent me. ‘Troubling’ is an extremely mild expression for how I feel about this.
The lack of reaction of the electorate is as alarming as the breach of trust itself.
Le Ministre, I seem to have screwed up your post by accident. I hit the wrong button when I intended to reply, and edited your post instead. I apologize.
That’s too bad - it was one of the most articulate things I’ve ever said.
I’ll see if I can re-do it in the morning; Lordy, I’m beat like an egg-sucking dog this evening…
Really? On the same level?
Under the 2004 section of the page you linked to (bolding mine):
And on the international news front, my little crew of paddlers popped down to Duluth/Superior for a race and did quite well:
Dragons of Hope (Thunder Bay Breast Cancer Survivors) 2:23.19
Finished second in our Survivors/Supporters category
Faster than the best Survivors’ time by 9.27 seconds (but not in the Survivors category)
Fourth of all the Women’s times (but not in the Women’s category)
Finished 48th in the entire field of 91 teams.
I’ve had a portion of a claim denied. All of $10. I hope it cost SunLife more than $10 to inform me of this fact.
So the Ontario provncial election is well underway, and the writ has officially dropped. One of my acquantaces (my brother’s sometimes girlfriend) is a candiate (in a different riding). And, once again I have a vote to cast and no good place to put it.
That reads like a line from a country and western song – you changing genres now?
This arguing over ‘what the other party did being just as bad’ is a depressing dead end. It’s like being trapped listening to a fanatic car driver and a fanatic cyclist -
It’s as tiresome as kids fighting in the back of the car, and if I were the one driving, they’d all be going home with an arse the colour of a maple leaf.
Here’s the thing - the party that most closely represents my political values fucked up. The Sponsorship scandal was the results of unethical actions on the part of many party insiders. I admit that. Those unethical actions do not change my beliefs in the party’s core principles - those actions were a betrayal of the public trust and of what the party stands for.
So here is where my rational and emotional sides are in conflict. Rationally, I think there is nothing to be gained by pursuing a course of mutual mud-slinging. The last election showed that Liberals like me have to beat the Conservatives on the issues.
Emotionally, it feels as if my team is serving a 5 game suspension while the other team got 5 for fighting. Remember in '93, when Gretzky high-sticked Doug Gilmour and went on to score when he shouldn’t have even been on the ice? That’s what it feels like, and I remember those sour nights after when the LA Kings, boys sent to do a man’s job, skated like lambs to the slaughter as the hated Habs had their wicked way with them. The Leafs may not have taken the cup that year, but by all that’s hairy, it would have been a great series for both teams!!!
Anyway, I’m not satisfied with the argument that the Conservatives are ‘no better than they should be’. I demand more from those who represent me. I also believe that until we all demand better, we’re not going to get it.
That’s an expansion of what I was trying to say last night in the post that got partly erased.
There really isn’t that much difference between opera and country to begin with. Revenge, love, adultery… it’s all there. ‘Sola, perduta, abbandonata’ or ‘I’m so lonesome I could cry’, it’s pretty much the orchestration that sets them apart. 
I suppose I could have used my Glaswegian mum’s expression ‘I’m worn to a ravelling’ rather than my dad’s prairie parlance…