by Judi Mcleod
February 23, 2004
With Quebec sponsorship scandals swirling over Prime Minister Paul Martin’s head, has anyone done a check on what happened to the millions he gave to the environmental activists who run the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)?
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities, an entity to itself, is beyond the jurisdiction of auditor-General Sheila Fraser.
The FCM millions surfaced in the 2000 federal budget when Martin was Finance Minister, releasing resources to the organization’s Green Investment and Green Enabling Funds.
It was a lot of money with which to give "green reviews" for stated projects such as the New Westminster, B.C. fire hall and administrative centre.
Friends and foes of activist Louise Comeau, FCM Director, Sustainable Communities and Environmental Policy, admit her talent in lobbying to get government money is legendary.
Comeau hit the mother lode when she swung a guy called Paul Martin on side when he held the portfolio of federal Finance Minister.
Martin ponied up some $250 million, and turned it over to FCM--arm’s length from the people and government of Canada.
The revolving multi million dollar booty was ostensibly to rebuild rotting infrastructure, but was poured instead into FCM initiated "green" issues, like lobbying municipalities to sign up for Kyoto.
Canadian infrastructure deficits now total some 60 billion dollars.
While the ground we walk on literally rots under our feet, the government keeps talking about the new deal for cities.
according to FCM President Yves Ducharme, who issued a gushing press release on the Dec. 12 swearing in of Paul Martin as Canada’s 21st Prime Minister, Martin’s advent was "good news" for Canadians.
"The appointment of the Honourable andy Scott as Minister of State for Infrastructure ensures that the infrastructure issues plaguing Canada’s cities, towns and rural communities also remain a priority," said Scott.
at a parliament hill reception following the FCM endowment in 2000, Martin stressed the influence FCM’s submission had on that year’s federal budget.
Indeed, Martin liked the ideas so much, he presented them as his very own: "It’s overwhelmingly the most focused, the most comprehensive and the best presentation I have seen as Minister of Finance. It was that presentation that allowed me, when I went through the budget, to stand up and tell the Canadian people it was my idea."
Concerned about what we perceived as FCM hype to "urge municipal governments, through their own operations and policies to support the principles and agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit, as well as the framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the Biodiversity Convention," Toronto Free Press wrote a letter reminding Martin that Comeau came to FCM as an activist in 2001.
Communications spokesperson Scott Reid, now doing damage control on the Quebec sponsorship scandal, sent back this message: "Environmental spending is clearly a priority for Canadians and the fact that only seven weeks following the mini-budget, a general election returned the government with a majority suggests that Canadians were satisfied with our approach."
The arrogance of the Finance Ministert was further reinforced by Reid’s statement; "Certainly the response in Toronto was well received, with the election of all GTa members to the government caucus."
Reid made it clear in the letter that Martin admired Toronto Councillor Jack Layton, who was then running for FCM presidency.
In a more recent CBC radio talkshow, when callers voiced their anger over the Quebec sponsorship scandal, Martin told one caller who suggested the FCM booty had increased to $750 million, that he was an "ardent supporter of the environment."
Why is Kyoto any more an environmental priority than a rotting infrastructure?
Meanwhile, we know where Martin stands on the environment. What we don’t know is when he’s going to fix our rotting infrastructure.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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