1st ANNUAL "TEDDIES" AWARDS, SMASHING SUCCESS
Author:
Walter Robinson
1999/03/16
OTTAWA: Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) Federal Director, Walter Robinson hosted the first annual Ted Weatherill Awards at a black-tie news conference this morning in Ottawa. Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) Federal Director, Walter Robinson hosted the first annual Ted Weatherill Awards at a black-tie news conference this morning in Ottawa.
The Teddies were named after Ted Weatherill, a former senior public servant who was terminated in 1999 for "expenses incurred by him-incompatible with his position as Chairman of the Canada Labour Relations Board," according to the Office of the Minister of Labour.
Federal Nominees:
Honourable Sheila Copps - for the tape tax fiasco and questionable multiculturalism funding
Honourable John Manley - for his continuing and steadfast promotion of Corporate Welfare
Public Works & Government Services Canada - for Parliament Hill construction over-runs and over a billion dollars in sole-sourced government contracts
Four Reform MPs (and possibly others) - for opting back into the MP Pension Plan
Winner: Public Works and Government Services Canada for letting $1.4 billion in untendered contracts in 1995 and for managing to allow the Parliament Hill construction and renovation budget to balloon from $440 million to $1.4 billion.
Provincial Nominees:
Government of British Columbia - for the Fast Ferry scandal
Government of Saskatchewan - for SaskPower's Channel Lake Petroleum scandal
Government of British Columbia - for the Photo Radar Scandal
Government of Ontario - for tens of millions in taxpayer-funded partisan advertising
Winner: Government of British Columbia
for spending $400,000 on a photo radar photo verification manual. At 2,637 words, this manual cost $152 per word.
Lifetime Achievement Teddy
A Lifetime Achievement Teddie was given in-absentia to Former Conservative Finance Minister Michael Wilson for his work in de-indexing the Income Tax System in 1986. De-indexing, or "bracket creep" as it is known, now accounts for over $10 billion or 14% of the personal income tax revenues that the federal government collects on an annual basis.