Federal Liberals Refuse to “Waste” Money on Ontario
July 3, 2003Ottawa – Scott Reid MP (CA, Lanark-Carleton) is amazed at the Liberal Government’s unwillingness to provide reasonable and substantive assistance to the Province of Ontario to help with the costs of the SARS crisis.
Reid said, “It is astonishing that during his recent Economic Statement, Deputy Prime Minister Manley felt the impact of the SARS crisis was such that it was a major factor in the downgrading of Canada’s estimated economic performance, yet not enough to warrant significant Federal support to Ontarians.”
Reid continued, “The Deputy Prime Minister, in response to a question, alluded that the money sent to the province under the Canadian Health and Social Transfer, money already allocated to the day-to-day healthcare needs of Ontarians, should be used to cover the extraordinary costs associated with SARS.”
Reid expressed frustration that “the Liberals have enough money to waste on sponsorship contracts in Quebec, they have enough money to waste $1.25 billion on a gun registry they can’t figure out how to make work, they had enough money to waste $1 billion in GST fraud. Yet when it comes to assisting the Province of Ontario and the Ontario taxpayers who are bearing the consequences of the SARS crisis the Federal Liberals refuse to “waste” money on Ontario.”
He further stated “a billion dollar plus crisis should generate more leadership at the Federal level than the sponsorship of a rock concert. Ontarians deserve better.”
For more information or to speak with Mr. Reid
Please call (613) 257-8130 or (613) 947-2277.
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