So the government has decided that we the people don't need information on what the war in Afghanistan is going to cost. I mean after all, telling us might just tip the Taliban off as to what our exact, top secret, strategy and tactics plan might be.Are you kidding me?
In a significant policy shift, the Canadian government now believes that telling the country’s taxpayers the future cost of the war in Afghanistan would be a threat to national security, Canwest News Service has learned.
Didn't the government make a deal with the official opposition to provide more transparency re' Afghanistan. Do they think that because they dodged that bullet they can now go back to playing cat and mouse?
When the NDP asked for the identical figures last year, the military made them public. Canwest News Service was able to disclose in April 2008 that the yearly incremental cost of the war would top $1 billion for the first time since Canada’s military became involved in Afghanistan in 2002.
But this year, military censors cited Section 15 of the act in blocking out the figure.
Is this what we are going to see. A summer of unilateral decisions without the benefit of the House being in session to ask questions?
I know it's the Conservative dream to have a majority and since they've been living a nightmare, I guess they will play pretend and behave as if they have one anyway. To be frank, even if they did have a majority, we deserve some answers here.
Does anyone else wonder just how this might be affecting our fiscal situation? I mean, Flaherty is so damned certain that this deficit is just going to go poof! and disappear after the stimulus takes hold and expires, it begs the question looking out a few years. Increased spending does not a balanced budget make.
Conventional wisdom, (according to some of our, oh so esteemed pundits), is that Harper gets a free ride during the summer.
I certainly hope they do their job and prove themselves wrong.
Update - A friend just reminded me of another good point on this story. We know that the Conservatives are going to be electioneering this summer. This takes that nasty bit of business off the table. Or does it?
Again, not if the press stay on such issues.
7 comments:
"Is this what we are going to see. A summer of unilateral decisions without the benefit of the House being in session to ask questions?"
Most likely. They've made lots of changes in secret without being accountable to the House. Look at the cuts to CIFA causing 22 deaths in the Listeria outbreak - cutbacks in meat inspection. This is the most secretive govt. ever & who knows what damage will be done by the end of summer & after.
I agree on the secrecy issue. I think though, that the committee is going to push their point on the Listeriosis issue.
I hope they do, knb. The Cons seem to shove deaths aside as though they are of no concern to them - which it seems they aren't. Wait till all the facts come out down the road on the lack of isotopes & the deaths from that.
Yeah, that scares me to be honest.
And you have Iggy to thank for this.....
Yes I know you wanted an election but the Liberals by not acting (once again) are complicit in all these travesties...
I do not think having an election would have helped, the people would be mad as hell, and vote for their baby all over again.
The liberals were not ready,and having an election, would only make the Conservatives move faster in the background..and now the more we get on them ,the more fodder later on.
Perhaps with parliament not in session and no election, the media will finally do it's job and concentrate on what's really happening.
It's about time - if they do.
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