I like the annual Teddies awards put on by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Not just because it’s a lighthearted way to poke fun at the very serious problems of waste and excess, but because they highlight the absolute worst offenders, the absolute worst of what our overpriced government has to offer us in exchange for our tax dollars.
Assisted by “Porky the Waste Hater” mascot, CTF director, Colin Craig, handed the top prize to the ten-percenters sent out by 308 MPs throughout Canada. They’re also known by their more colloquial name: “junk mail”. You know, the kind you glance at, sigh, toss in the recycling bin, and then wonder how much that just cost you.
Well the answer is forthcoming in this announcement:
“And the federal Teddy goes to…Members of Parliament for their junk mailer program. The federal mail-out program allows MPs to send flyers to no more than 10 per cent of the households any riding in the country. The flyers are in addition to riding-wide MP flyers and have increased in cost from $5.9 million in 2005-06 to $10 million in 2008-09. Oddly enough, as our deficit skyrocketed, MPs hiked up their usage of these flyers to tell us about everything but the deficit.” said Mr.Craig.
But no new is good news. Right?
The provincial Teddy award went to Nova Scotia for expense accounts. That bloated sow of a city, Toronto, won for a homeless audit that paid people to pretend to be homeless. And the lifetime achievement award went to the gold-plated MP pension plan, which I highlighted in a blog entry that appeared in the National Post.
Other notable mentions include $1.5 million on hotel rooms not used at a “Francophone Summit”; Public works “accidentally” auctioned belongings of the Queen of England for $4,000, and then had to pay $100,000 to get it back; a $1.4 million audit to find out that the $20 million missing gold was an accounting error; the BC Liberal government paid 241 government workers to “volunteer” for the Olympic Games; Ontario blew $1 billion on an eHealth system that still doesn’t work.
Personally, I think eHealth should have easily won the top award. That gong show was the biggest rip off of taxpayer money since the feds forced farmers to register 40-year-old shotguns under penalty of fine or imprisonment.
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How’s that freeze on spending working out? Not so good for the PCO.
I think it’s self-evident that the 10-percenters should be eliminated. Subsidized junk mail is offensive even when it doesn’t cost $10 million. And it’s not just the Conservatives who abuse it, although I understand they’re currently using it most “effectively”.
But while we’re on the subject of postage, the entire system of free postage for parliament should be scrapped.
Currently you can send mail to your MP without a stamp. There is no good reason for this. Furthermore, the system is abused by people working on the hill of all political stripes. (Think of staffers ordering books from Chapters and then mailing them to friends at the taxpayer’s expense.)
You’re absolutely correct on those points. Besides, even if they didn’t have free postage, I’m sure they’d expense it anyway.
Agreed, I despise the 10%-ers and the main cut,cut,cut suggestion that I made @BLY.
I was particularly excited that Calgary City Council made the list, they should have topped the list so they got off easy as far as I’m concerned. Millions of dollars in FORGOTTEN rainy day accounts is nothing short of arrogant stupidity!