Click here for a complete breakdown of the latest Liberal spending promises.


The start gun for a federal election will go off sometime next week. The Conservative Opposition gave notice Wednesday that it will bring forward a non-confidence motion. This will trigger a mid-winter campaign if approved by a majority in the House of Commons, which is expected.

The governing Liberals are using every trick to improve their electoral fortunes. Their preferred tool The government's spending powers. Over the last three weeks, Prime Minster Paul Martin, cabinet ministers and Liberal backbench MPs have made pre-campaign spending commitments totaling $16.5-billion. This is equivalent to $785-million per day.

Tax money is being brazenly used as the Liberal Party's own private political slush fund. Before Mr. Martin visits the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament next Monday or Tuesday, the spending total will surpass $20-billion.

The rollout of big ticket items is being driven by politics. Liberal MPs have admitted that money for the softwood lumber industry, military planes, residential school compensation, and skills training is being announced now because of the election timing. Is rushing such large spending initiatives wise stewardship of the public purse Of course not.

There is no defence either for the laundry list of local ribbon cutting events. Yet money is being directed by the government to favoured voting groups and swing ridings where Liberals are vulnerable. The promise of $2.5-million to highlight Italian contribution to building Canada is only one example. Other gems include $139,000 for fish harvester's skills promotion in Halifax, a $276,000 grant for Toronto's Bata Shoe museum, and $690,000 for community projects in Edmonton.

Canadians have witnessed this sort of voting buying before. The Liberals embarked on similar spending sprees twice before in the past 18 months. Mr. Martin's first campaign as prime minister in 2004 saw the government spend almost $7-billion of taxpayers' money in pre-election announcements. This worked out to approximately $150-million per day.

In April, 2005, with the Gomery investigation of the sponsorship program pounding Liberal fortunes and a spring election a sudden possibility, the government went on its second binge. Over 250 spending announcements were made in a month totaling more than $17-billion. This worked out to $600-million per day.

It should concern all taxpayers that Ottawa's spending taps have been blown wide open. Government revenues do not magically appear in Ottawa, but are paid by over-taxed Canadians. Politicians can spend irresponsibly because tax rates are too high.

Under Prime Minister Martin's watch, federal expenditures have increased dramatically. The 2004 Budget projected Ottawa's annual program expenditures would increase by 3.1 per cent and total $148-billion. This budget, by the way, was Mr. Martin's very first as prime minister.

Yet the announcements made prior to the '04 campaign and aborted '05 spring campaign, swelled government expenditures by more than $21-billion. Total program spending for the year came in at $163-billion, up an irresponsible 15 per cent over the preceding year - a far cry from the 3.1 per cent budgeted. As a point of comparison it is worth highlighting that over the previous three years - when Jean Chrétien was in charge - program spending increased by a grand total of $22.7-billion.

Taxpayers are witnessing the largest pre-election spending binge in Canadian history. That it is coming from a politician many taxpayers once held in high regard is a sign of political weakness, not strength. No government confident of its re-election would throw such gobs of money at voters in a vain attempt to save its political hide. Whether Mr. Martin wins or loses the upcoming election, his reputation as a fiscally responsible politician is in tatters.