Lowlight #13: Conservatives target charities, deliver big refund to mafia boss

COUNTDOWN OF CONSERVATIVE FAILURES FOR 2013

Lowlight #13: Conservatives target charities while delivering big refunds to organized criminals

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives had a very bad year. Plagued by an expense scandal and cover-up reaching right to the top of the prime minister’s office, Conservatives have shown they are a tired and out-of-gas government.

We are condensing a year’s worth of lowlights into a countdown of the top 15 examples of Conservative blunders, scandals and ineptitude.

LOWLIGHT #13
Conservatives target charities, fail to address tax havens and deliver big refund to mafia boss

Under the Conservatives’ watch, the Canada Revenue Agency has lurched from controversy to controversy.

CRA targeted environmental charities that disagreed with the Conservatives, cut the branch in charge of investigating organized crime, and mailed a $380,000 tax return to a well-known member of the Mafia – who was in jail at the time. Most costly of all for taxpayers, Conservatives failed to take action on the multibillion dollar problem of tax havens.

To make matters even more embarrassing for the Conservative government, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty appointed his close friend James Love to head the Canadian Mint despite the fact Mr. Love helps run tax avoidance schemes for his clients.

So while they were helping insider friends avoid paying taxes – and allowing as much as $8 billion a year to be lost to tax havens – Conservatives spent $5 million conducting 880 audits but found only one charity in violation of CRA rules.

Canadians deserve better.

While other leaders have been missing in action, Tom Mulcair has been showing up to work on behalf of Canadians – holding Stephen Harper accountable and putting forward practical solutions to help families make ends meet.