Ottawa Journal by David Tilson MP — Government doesn’t look good after its ‘six-month reality check’

May 12, 2016 · 0 Comments

Last week, the Liberals celebrated six months since being sworn into office.
But while Liberals are cheering and patting each other on the back, they continue to deny their own failures and broken promises. Whether managing Canada’s economy, governing ethically, supporting Canada’s military or representing Canada on the international stage, the Liberal record of failures and broken promises speaks for itself.
On the Canadian economy, the Liberals have broken their promise to keep deficit spending under $10 billion annually; and broken their promise to keep taxes low for middle-class Canadians. In fact, the Liberals are raising taxes on Canadian families and small businesses by ending tax credits for children’s arts and sports activities and cancelling a scheduled small businesses tax cut which will cost small business owners more than $2 billion dollars in extra taxes. They have also misled Canadians by denying that the Conservatives left Finance Minister Bill Morneau with a surplus, despite confirmation from the Minister’s own officials and the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
On the question of governing ethically, the Liberals allowed the Justice Minister to attend a high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto with Bay Street lawyers; defended the Trade Minister after she spent almost $20,000 of taxpayers’ money on an all-inclusive vanity trip to Hollywood; and appointed a Justice Minister who has a significant interest in her husband’s lobbying firm.
With respect to supporting Canada’s military, the Liberals cut $3.7 billion from the military procurement budget; failed to stand with our allies in the fight against ISIS by ending our combat mission and withdrawing our CF-18s; and plunged the Canadian Armed Forces into uncertainty with a “defence review” that will focus on a “leaner” military, which will inevitably mean further cuts.
In terms of representing Canada on the international stage, the Liberals have failed to stand with our ally Israel with their move to normalize relations with Iran, a state sponsor of terror that has explicitly called for Israel to be wiped off the map; failed to stand with Ukraine in the face of unwarranted and illegal Russian military aggression by moving to normalize and improve relations with Vladimir Putin; and failed to stand with the millions of people around the world who are persecuted because of their faith by closing the Office of Religious Freedom.
So in terms of a six-month reality check, the new government seems to be leaving a lot to be desired. tilson