YELLOWKNIFE — Stephen Harper's vision of a strong and free Far North ran up against northern reality Monday.
Even as he reannounced a promise to complete an all-season highway in the Arctic, he said funding a drug treatment centre for poor and addicted northerners isn't a promise he should make.
"In terms of specific infrastructure investments that need to be made in this area, I always say during a campaign, I don't make the local commitments. That's up to individual candidates to make and to bring those priorities to Ottawa," Harper said in answer to the only question he took from a northern reporter.
But, he said, if voters in this sprawling Western Arctic constituency elect Tory candidate Sandy Lee, an ex-territorial health minister, maybe she could bring the plan for one to Ottawa.
Yes, I think I am reading this right. If a non-Conservative MP is elected, there's no chance for a centre. Well, after seeing how the Harper Government favoured Conservative ridings for stimulus spending and for G8/G20 spending (Muskoka and Tony Clement, $50 million, Toronto $0.00), I'm not surprised.
1 comment:
Nice catch Mark.
After living in a Harper Conservative riding for the last three years, It actually gets worse than that. The constituent making the request of the MP has to be a conservative also.
So it's not just voting for the party, you have to be a member or you just don't get an answer to the request.
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