I Smell An Election Coming

NOTL library gets cash for upgrades

NOTL is short for Niagara on the Lake, Rob Nicholson's riding.

Ministers Goodyear and Nicholson Make First Announcement through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program

Federal infrastructure fund starts backing projects only two months after program announced

From that last article:

"Conservative ridings received one-and-a-half times more of that infrastructure fund than opposition seats did, a recent Globe and Mail analysis found."

Well, duh!! The Cons do have a majority, so it is to be expected Conservative held ridings might receive more, than other parties. But how much more?

That's hardly surprising. Gotta shore up the base, after all. Moreover, the MPs from these ridings may well have direct access to the real power brokers in Ottawa (ie) the PM and his cabinet, so they will be dispensed with a view to cementing the Conservatives hold on power. It's interesting that the MP for Niagara on the Lake is not just a member of the Conservative Party, but is a cabinet minister. This is politics as usual.

Infrastructure grants tend to be dispensed in portions and as such they should be completed in time for Canada's 150th birthday. Dispensation of small amounts over the course of three or four years will make for good headlines in local community media, keeping a glow emanating around the Cons in those ridings. It would be interesting to know more about each recipient. Are those communities at risk of voting for the Liberals or the NDP? I'm going to do some digging to see what I can come up with.