DION’S LACK OF PRIORITIES WILL PLUNGE CANADA INTO DEFICIT

February 17, 2008

Costing report reveals Stéphane Dion would overspend by at least $62.5 billion


A Stéphane Dion Liberal government would immediately push Canada back into deficit and rack up at least $62.5 billion in new debt.

That is the conclusion of a Conservative Party report which documents the major spending commitments made by Stéphane Dion and the Liberal Party since the 2006 federal election. The costing report reveals that, over the next four years, Stéphane Dion’s lack of priorities will, at a bare minimum, plunge Canada $62.5 billion deeper into debt.

“Stéphane Dion is a weak leader whose lack of priorities will cost everyone in the form of more debt,” said Conservative MP Jim Prentice. “Canadians will need to decide if he is really worth the risk.”

The Conservative costing report tabulates only those promises where the Liberals have made a clear commitment that carries with it a concrete cost that can easily be identified. Where estimates have been used, they have cautiously been made at the low end of the spectrum. The report also documents 33 separate Liberal spending commitments that cannot be costed at all due to a lack of information from the Liberals.

“What is most troubling about all of this Dion Liberal spending is that these numbers are the bare minimums,” Mr. Prentice continued. “There were dozens of occasions where Stéphane Dion did not even bother to attach a price tag to one of his spending sprees. We’ve been prudent in what we include in this report, but the fact remains that the real damage from Mr. Dion’s lack of priorities will be even greater still.”

“Stéphane Dion owes it to Canadians to come clean with his own spending plans and how he will pay for them,” Mr. Prentice concluded. “His disregard for the consequences of his own overspending is more evidence that he is not a leader and not worth the risk.”