To the Expositor:
Does anyone else have that ill feeling in their stomach when they see the Harper government pointing the critical financial finger of abuse at the little guy ie. Attawapiskat?
Although a provincial screw up, Hydro One must have graduated from “Harper 101” with honours! Ontarians forced to pay off a “debt reduction charge” for Ontario Hydro, the Auditor General reports was paid off in full some time ago. We still pay that charge. Another example of abuse by the government.
Having said that, the media quotes the federal government as estimating citizens of Attawapiskat have been given sufficient cash that averages out to 7,249 dollars per resident in that community. Mr. Harper further leads us down the garden path, that some abuse is present in Attawapiskat! Let us assume and humour Mr. Harper in his smoke and mirrors fairy tale for a nano-second. To be unfair, like the prime minister, we will assume for the purposes of this scenario, some of the 7,249 dollars per person, was spent as intended by First Nations people. Again, only to pacify this spin doctor (Mr. Harper), trying to hide his sins.
So then, why are the initial figures of the $500,000 dollars of abuse applied to his own Minister of Defence, Peter McKay, a single individual out fishing and lobsterfest hopping across Canada, not being met with auditors arriving at Mr. McKay’s office? Unlike the individual citizen of Attawapiskat, this single individual is alleged to have abused more money, all on his own, and to date refuses to justify even part of it was necessary. Even worse, a media audit of sorts caught Mr. McKay lying and proved it with an email.
Mr. McKay is suspected as an individual abusing $400,000 all by himself, over and above any individual aboriginal ever dreamed of in Attawapiskat, and yet not a helicopter, car, taxi, or bus with an auditor in it, arrives at Mr. McKay’s office. Other politicians from other parties are demanding an apology from Mr. McKay as an answer, while Attawapiskat, in contrast, is subject to a complete financial audit. Meanwhile, the people in Attawapiskat, right or wrong, await help and aid for decent, bare necessity, living conditions.
I urge the pork barrelers in Ottawa give necessary aid to First Nations people before someone dies. Sort it out later as to what went wrong, and how, is my suggestion. Oh yes, include Mr. McKay being brought to account for his alleged abuse of public monies at the same time, and that does not mean an simple apology, which this taxpayer does not believe nor accept. If the opposition and third party politicians only want an apology from Mr. Harper, I guess a spanking for Mr. McKay is out of the question.
Feel sick now?
Larry Killens
South Baymouth
