• Taxpayers criticize decision to politicize infrastructure foundation
• CTF warned about this potential in December budget response
• Policy flip-flop: We should have seen it coming

OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has reacted to today's introduction of legislation in establishing the Strategic Infrastructure Foundation, announced in last December's budget. The legislation will allow politicians to control the disbursement of infrastructure monies as opposed to a proposed arm's length agency.

Page 126 of the December budget reads:

The Foundation will be at arm's length from the federal government. Its board of directors will be responsible for assessing projects and making spending decisions.

A canoe museum here, a Shawinigan fountain there -
"Our greatest fears will now come true, politicians will control the $2 billion allotted to this foundation and we have no doubt that it's going to be canoe museums, bocce ball courts and Shawinigan style fountains across the land," said CTF federal director Walter Robinson. "Good arm's length governance could make this foundation work, old-school partisan pork-barrel politics - as planned by the government - will most certainly destroy it. In this regard, history speaks for itself. "

CTF raised issue back on Budget Day
In a new release issued on December 10, 2001, the CTF stated:

If this agency redirects gas tax revenues back to Canada's crumbling roads, that would be a step in the right direction. But the key here is governance. If this Foundation becomes a home for patronage appointees then we're right back to political pork barreling with tax dollars being funneled to canoe museums and bocce ball courts.

Flip-flop: What else is new
"While we are disheartened and disappointed, we really shouldn't be all that surprised," added Robinson. "Given the feds long list of broken promises from the GST to an independent ethics counselor along with other policy flip-flops, we should have seen this coming."