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January 19th, 2012

Reality check: $3.3 million boondoggle a “prudent use of taxpayers’ money”: Conservatives

Conservatives are making their priorities clear. While out-of-work Canadians are waiting longer and longer for EI, Conservatives are throwing money at an EI agency that does nothing.

Since 2008, $3.3 million was spent on the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board. Problem is, no work was being done on its own mandate.

Two executives have been paid around $244,000 a year, and executive members have been flown in from around the country.

According to the Minister responsible, Diane Finley, this is a “prudent use of taxpayers’ money.”

Really? We wonder how many Canadians would agree.

According to documents obtained by the Globe and Mail, in October 2011 there were 360,481 people waiting for EI. And HRDC reported in December that almost 250,000 Canadians had been waiting more than 28 days for their claims to be processed.

Once again the Conservatives make their priorities plain: leave out-of-work Canadians waiting while Ottawa insiders and their well connected friends get all the breaks.