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Government spending like drunken sailors in an attempt to buy votes July 25, 2007 Opposition Leader Gerry Reid is challenging government's blatant abuse of taxpayers money in its attempt to buy votes heading into the fall election campaign. Reid says this abuse of power defeats the spirit and intent of Justice Green's report. "The premier and his government are on pace to make more funding announcements in the last month of their mandate than they did in the previous four years," said Mr. Reid. "Four years ago, this government cut services, closed buildings, froze wages and laid off workers. Now, the premier and his government are spending money like drunken sailors in an attempt to buy votes. If the premier believes his own polls, I question why he feels the need to make so many funding announcements around the province a month before the election campaign? Is this the same premier who stated that his government would never go on a spending spree to buy people's votes with their own money prior to an election? "All MHAs agreed to live by the spirit and intent of Justice Green's report and not make any further donations from their constituency allowances. However, government members and ministers have found that raiding departmental budgets serves the same purpose of constituency allowances and are making donations and funding announcements at a record pace. This type of political grandstanding has been practiced and criticized in previous election campaigns. It appears the premier's so-called "new" approach is not so new after all, especially in what is supposed to be a new era of spending accountability."
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