Hollywood has the Oscars and Ottawa has the Teddies. On March 17, 1999, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation held its first Teddies Waste Awards at a Parliament Hill news conference. The annual black tie ceremony honours the best of the worst in high taxes and government waste.
The awards are named for Ted Weatherill, a former senior public servant, who was terminated in 1998 for living high on the hog at taxpayers' expense.
In that tradition, The Teddies are awarded annually to a government, public office holder, civil servant, department or agency that most exemplifies government waste, over-spending, over-taxation, excessive regulation, lack of accountability, or any combination of the five.
A beautifully adorned golden sow is awarded in the following categories: federal, provincial, municipal and lifetime achievement. A Teddy may be awarded on the basis of past accomplishments or on the basis of a proposed initiative.
In March 2006 the CTF announced a monthly Teddy would be awarded in any of the three categories federal, provincial or municipal and welcomed nominations from CTF supporters and taxpayers at large. Each month the winning nominee will be announced and fed into the annual awards ceremony held during Oscars week each year. To send in your nomination
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Previous Teddy Awards