Provenzano: Conservative's G8 spending unjustifiable

NEWS RELEASE

CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO LIBERAL CANDIDATE SAULT STE. MARIE & AREA

************************* Conservatives misled Parliament with possible illegal use of G8 funds SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - The Canadian Press has accessed a report from the auditor general that says the Harper government misled parliament in order to gain approval for more than $50 million from the G8 fund.

The money was spent on questionable projects in the riding of Minister of Industry Tony Clement. “This type of politics is unacceptable. Canadians deserve and should expect better,” says Christian Provenzano, Liberal candidate for Sault Ste. Marie. “The spending is excessive and unjustifiable. The misrepresentation is a sad affront to our democracy.” The $50 million in question was used to support 32 projects in Clement’s Parry Sound-Muskoka riding.

The report has found that the projects were selected with no consideration for government conditions or the needs of the G8 summit.

Auditor General Sheila Fraser also suggests that the process used to obtain the money for these projects may have been illegal. Says Provenzano: “As the minister responsible for FedNor, Tony Clement has ignored the real needs of the region. These resources could have and should have been used to support jobs and businesses in Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma and Northern Ontario.” “This is why we need an independent FedNor that will work to secure prosperity for all of Northern Ontario.” The revelations about the abuse of G8 summit funds are contained in a confidential report prepared by the Auditor General that analyzes the cost of last year’s G8 and G20 summits.

While the full report is not slated to be released until after the election, the Canadian Press gained access to a draft of the chapter on the G8 legacy infrastructure fund. “We need a government that will help create jobs for young workers, strengthen post-secondary institutions like Algoma University and Sault College, and establish an independent FedNor. It’s time for us to start putting our families and our area first,” concluded Christian Provenzano.

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