Collegiality and Rewards

"Why, at a premiers conference, are we spending thousands of dollars on jackets and crystal tumblers and cheese boards? That's not the precedent the taxpayers expect when politicians meet to talk about the government's overspending in the economy."
Kevin Lacey, Atlantic Canada director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Why? The answer is simple enough; to reward themselves for their cleverness, their collegiality, their joint concern for the welfare of their constituents, their obligation toward business, profit, employment, and above all, their huge and all-encompassing love of country. They spoke at the Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax last July of vital issues concerning them all, and certainly by extension Canadian taxpayers.

Discussing health care, education, energy and government spending. And look at what was agreed upon, to aid them in their management of the economy with the issue of the largest-and-growing single most burdensome expense in the dossier of the management of universal health care; pharmaceuticals.

Henceforth - they issued a proud statement of collaborative success - joint purchases of generic drugs will save Canadians an estimated $100-million annually. Brought to us by the energetic discussion and brilliant conclusion relating to this particular file.

Which may hiccough slightly if and when the Canada-European Union Free Trade Deal is signed and extension of pharmaceutical copyright disturbs our little imaginative idyll in the future. The summit itself cost $110,00 to mount; $72,691.57 funded by the Council of the Federation, which is, needless to say, the provinces.

Nova Scotia, the host province, covered the balance, with additional costs generously borne by some sponsors like the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada and the Canadian Pharmacists Association. So, of course, all those wise heads getting together and plotting the course of the following years with provincial budgets and spending require acknowledgement.

Which came in the form of personal takeaway swag.

And that would be an expense of $53,000 to offer complimentary gifts to the attendees. Gifts comprised of crystal whiskey tumblers, 38 of which cost $1,653; 25 cheese boards at $1,625; 400 reversible microfibre jackets at $35,654.35; 25 diamond jubilee leather journals (limited edition) at $1,875, and finally $627 spend for 27 porcupine quill brooches.

A memorable meeting requires memorabilia.

"We expect politicians to treat taxpayer money like it's their own. If it was their own, would they really be spending all this money on these items? They seem to find such an easy time spending taxpayers money", scolded Mr. Lacey grouchily, on behalf of all those taxpayers whose opinion no one sought beforehand.