Mp Reid Protests Slowness of Community Funding in Eastern Ontario
October 15, 2004OTTAWA – Scott Reid, Member of Parliament for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington and Official Opposition Critic for FedNor (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario), today rose to question FedNor Minister Joe Comuzzi about the $10 million that was promised to the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) before the federal election writ was dropped back in May.
TRANSCRIPT OF SCOTT REID’S QUESTION IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
| Mr. Speaker, the day before the election call, eastern Ontario Liberal MPs announced that our region’s CFDCs would receive $10 million.Then the Liberals lost the seats. Five months went by with no hint of funds, until my office called the department this morning at 9 a.m. to inform them that I would be raising this fact in question period at 11 a.m.
Within an hour, CFDCs were informed that at last the funds were on their way. It’s nice, I guess, that FedNor is capable of such partisan hypersensitivity, but could I ask that from now on, it base the timing of its announcements on genuine community needs instead of on partisan considerations? |
In response to Mr. Comuzzi’s claim that that the money had been forthcoming before the call this morning. Reid noted: “It has apparently been forthcoming for 5 months. It would be nice if the government would actually put the money into the hands of the eastern Ontario CFDCs who are waiting for this money and who have been counting on it.”
“The Liberal government didn’t make any such announcements when they thought these seats were safe back in 1997 and 2000, even though there was a legitimate need for such funding back then.”
“From start to finish, the timing of these announcements has been purely political,” Reid observed, “Whatever the reason for giving the money, I just hope that our CFDCs actually get to see the money before their March 2005 program deadlines.”
For more information or to speak with Mr. Reid
Please call (613) 257-8130 or (613) 947-2277.
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