Small Government? Not when it comes to Stephen Harper’s Buddies!

Before he was Prime Minister, Stephen Harper painted himself as a proponent of small government and a defender of austerity:

“I tend to come from the small government end of conservatism.” – Stephen Harper. The Gazette. March 22, 2002

But Mr. Harper’s frugal approach is for other people and doesn’t apply to his own government or Conservative insiders.

Stephen Harper’s government has gone into overdrive with pork patronage jobs for Conservatives friends and hasn’t hesitated when it comes to blowing the budget on spending more and more to accommodate his Conservative friends.

• The budget for ministerial regional offices has skyrocketed from $1.9 million to $4 million since 2008. Money to hire political staff to help regional ministers – satellite offices used to promote the Conservatives.
• While spending elsewhere shrinks, the PMO budget has expanded by 7.4% from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013.
• The appointment of 59 Conservative Senators byStephen Harper, including failed candidates and Conservative organizers. Only Jean Chrétien (75) and Pierre Elliot Trudeau (81) appointed more Senators than the current Harper, who of course was elected on a promise not to appoint any unelected Senators.
• And with this week’s appointment of its 40th minister, Stephen Harper’s cabinet became the largest in Canadian history. One in every four Conservative MPs will now be a cabinet minister!
• Under Stephen Harper, annual bonuses for federal ministers have now reached $2.96 million – an all-time Canadian record!

Canadians deserve better than Conservative patronage and hypocrisy.