Thursday, February 11, 2016

Stephen Harper and the House of Pork



If there is an enduring image of Stephen Harper's grotesque regime I suppose it will be something like that one.

A lot of Con hogs heading for the trough, or trying to buy an election.

And sticking the rest of us with the bill.



For this is yet another porky scandal.

A new report shows that for every dollar the Conservative government budgeted for its marquee job-training program, it spent 53 cents advertising it in the first year.

Newly released details of the previous government's 2014-15 advertising budget show that spending on ads linked to the economic action plan outpaced any other campaign.


And who can forget the Canada apprentice loan program?

The loan program, first announced in the 2014 budget, was estimated to cost $12.6 million annually in the first two years. But government forecasts pegged the overall cost of the program at $7.4 million a year over a decade — meaning the first year of advertising might have wound up costing nearly as much as the net cost of a single year of loans.

The one that cost so much, and disappointed so many?



The one that was accused of fraud.

The NDP complained to the Advertising Standards Canada about the ads in early 2015, arguing they were misleading. The TV voiceover said that over "the next decade, one million skilled tradesmen and women will be needed to keep Canada's growing economy strong."

The New Democrats argued the number was not supported by any independent statistics or estimates.


And who can forget this ad that had to be pulled off the air for the same reason?



But not before leaving the stench of pork in the air.

You know, Stephen Harper was actually spotted in Parliament the other day, for the amount of time it took to vote for this bill:

That, given this time of economic uncertainty, the House: (a) recognize the importance of the energy sector to the Canadian economy and support its development in an environmentally sustainable way; (b) agree that pipelines are the safest way to transport oil; (c) acknowledge the desire for the Energy East pipeline expressed by the provincial governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick; and (d) express its support for the Energy East pipeline currently under consideration.

Which appropriately enough was introduced by Candice Bergen...



Because she used to flog porky cheques with the best of them...



But the questions that should haunt us all are how did that Hog government get away with so much?

How low did they drag us before we sent them packing?

Why aren't they being investigated?

And why is their foul leader not in prison?



Because in any other decent country that's exactly where he would be. For turning the public purse into a sow's purse, and trying to buy an election in such a grotesque and blatant manner. 

The Trudeau government should use this scandal and others as an excuse to call an inquiry into the activities of the Con regime.

So we can find out what other porky crimes they may have committed.

And send them all to the place they  belong...

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11 comments:

Dan said...

Hmmmm... didn't the Liberals lose their majority (and eventually their government) because of the Sponsorship Scandal?

Instead of going "That's a really corrupt and bad idea thus we shouldn't do it" the Harperons said "Let's do it even better. We'll make it national then hold on to power forever Bwahahahahaha!" before eating a bunch of live puppies to celebrate.

Anonymous said...

So very happy that the PORKY PIGS are Finally sent out of commission for life.
Perhaps Rona as well. She is just as bad if not worst. Harper taught her well to keep his bullshit politics alive.

Which the majority of Canadians told them on October 19th 2015 that they did not agree with them or their CON party.

Irene

Anonymous said...

I would love to see Harper and every one of those criminal Cons thrown in jail Simon but when you see the likes of Brian Mulroney getting away with accepting envelopes stuffed with cash as a bribe and not paying taxes on it you have to wonder if spending millions to go after them will be worth it. If anyone did get convicted it would be some sap like Michael Sona taking the fall, far away from the head of the snake who deserves it most.
A good start would be seeing Dean Del Fatso jailed for 6 months for being a colossal waste of time to our court system and the utter contempt he has shown it. On second thought, make it a year.
JD

e.a.f. said...

Out in B.C., Premier Christy Clark has grabed a page of Harper's job ad campaign. She and her B.C. Lieberals are now running some thing similar. ads about how you can become an electrician. Some things never change with these cons. Christy must have spent a tad to much time with Steve because she is following his play book.

Her monument to herself will be a dam, Site C. which will reek havoc on the environment and flood, millions of acres in Northern B.C. violating First Nations rights and their lands. Just like Harper--total disregard for First Nations.

Christy is still trying to sell LNG. Harper sold oil, but its all bad for the environment. She told us several years ago we'd have trillions of dollars, 100 thousand new jobs, and pay off our deficit. Instead Kelowna has the highest rate of unemployment in Canada, B.C. has the highest rate of child poverty and the lowest min. wage. But hey housing is doing well. For $2 Million you can buy a shack in Vancouver and bulldoze it to build a house.
When it comes to not paying taxes her friends are doing well. seems the realtors are flipping houses so fast they forgot to pay the tax on the sales, might have lost a few hundred million that way, but she is going to have the Real Estate council look into it, instead of the police. so if people think the harper ways are gone. Not so much, just come to B.C. and watch it all again.

hinofan said...

Not all about money.
What about the Afghan Detainee Affair where Canadian troops were suspected of handing over detainees to the Afghan Army for certain torture interrogation ?
Which is a war crime.
The whole investigation came to a sudden close when Harper prorogued Parliament on 30th December 2009.
My ex MP, Con Fighter Ace Laurie Hawn, now sitting on the Edmonton Police Commission, was at the heart of this investigation.
http://www.cbc.ca/includes/promos/promo/images/hawn-docs-144007539.jpg
His classic comment on the detainee transfers at a constituency event on the allegations:
" They do things differently over there."

Simon said...

hi Dan...Although I'm no saint, my parents raised to treat dishonesty with the contempt it deserves. So the Porky Action plan ads drove me up the wall. Which is why I quickly made a copy of that fraudulent Con video, before they deleted it, so I could make my own video and let them know exactly how I felt. They didn't care how many young people they disappointed with their fraudulent, for them it was just more propaganda. And until the day I die I'll always feel they got away with murder, and that some of them at least should have been jailed...

Simon said...

hi Irene...you're absolutely right. Rona is just another Con piggy, as cruel and as bad as her former leader. And yes the Cons still can't accept the fact that they lost. Being bad losers on top of everything else. But I guess we'll have to give them a reality check, and it will be a pleasure... ;)

Simon said...

hi JD...I know it's unrealistic to expect that the Cons will get the punishment they deserve, when so many others have got away with it before them. But I'll never accept that we are only the NINTH less corrupted country in the world, I find that shameful. And I'll never stop demanding justice until the day I'm gone...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f....I'm glad I live in Ontario where politics is much simpler than in beautiful British Columbia. ;) But yes, I just read a frightening story about how young people are being forced to move out of Vancouver because they can't afford to live there. And I feel really bad because in the short time I was there I grew to love that city. All governments in this country need to remember that profits can never replace people...

Simon said...

hi hinofan...thank you for reminding me about that story. I've been meaning to write a post about the situation but haven't had the time to do the research. I've wrote a lot of posts about that scandal at the time, and made at least three videos. And I can never forget how Harper prorogued Parliament to escape the consequences, and somehow managed to get away with it. But there is no statute of limitations for torture in my book, and I will return to the subject sooner or later...

e.a.f. said...

if there is enough there, perhaps Steve could make an appearance at the Hague courts. it would be so fitting.