Federal gov’t wasting billions

By Letter to the Editor on January 30, 2019.

Christmas is over, we now begin the season laughingly referred to as awards season. Globes, Emmys, Peoples Choice, that Golden fellow. A season of political speeches and hopefully few if any expletives.

When did people who are good at being someone or something else, good at making us believe something that does not exist does indeed exist, become experts in economy, politics, climate whatever, gender confusion, blah blah. Ah, but then Canadians have politicians, some of whom are great actors.

It turns out that our federal government is prepared to blow billions of dollars and our MPs have neither the interest nor wherewithal to ask what is going on. The Commons and The Senate are being moved into a new facility in the Centre Block, a temporary facility starting at $1 billion. The old Commons and Senate buildings are slated to be refurbished in the next 10 years or more. My bet is more, much more.

The issue, sadly, is no one knows what needs to be done, how it will be done, who will do it or what it will look like. Best guess is it will cost $3 billion or more.

Our prime minister has not entered the official Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Dr. since his childhood as it, too, is under renovation — five years and counting. He and his family are ensconced in a house on the grounds of the governor general residence, who, fortunately, is rarely home.

Trudeau now wants a helipad constructed at the official PM cottage at Harrington Lake, a 25-minute drive north of Ottawa. The problem, though, is he would have to drive 30 minutes to get to a heliport to take him to the cottage. He also wants a new pool, new swing set, new treehouse, kayak, canoes, and pontoon boat.

I thought the governor general had ideas out of this world. Sadly it must be as mundane as the water in the region.

Ian Parkinson

Medicine Hat

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