NEWS RELEASE 

May 26, 1994   For Immediate Release 

BREITKREUZ CALLS BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS A SHAM 

Today, Reformers voted against the budget estimates for the Department of Human Resources Development. Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville told the Standing Committee for Human Resources Development, "The whole process is flawed. Canadians are concerned about the debt and the deficit and elected us to do something about government overspending. It would be an insult to their intelligence if we did not draw attention to this attempt to have us rubber stamp a budget prepared by Cabinet. We are opposed to this entire process because even if we find savings that make sense to everyone on the Committee, we will not be able to change it by even one cent," he declared. 

Breitkreuz made a specific motion to reduce the estimates by $3 million but the amendment was voted down by the Liberal and Bloc members of the Committee. The Breitkreuz motion, seconded by Dale Johnston, MP for Wetaskiwin, asked the Standing Committee to reduce, by three million dollars, the Minister's $4 million in grants to special interest groups to prepare briefs for submission to the Standing Committee. He also asked the Committee to redirect the remaining $1 million to innovative consultative processes such as: electronic town hall meetings, MPs town hall meetings, forums and workshops in provincial capitals, video production costs, tele-conferencing, 1-800 hot-line service, and, tele-democracy projects. 

Breitkreuz explained, "The Reform Party believes that if special interest groups need to be heard during the consultations initiated by the Standing Committee that the members of the special interest group should finance the preparation of their own submissions." 

"Only in this way, we will know which special interest group truly represents the views of their particular constituency. Providing government money to help them subverts the democratic process and the principle of equality by giving special status to some groups and leaving others to pay their own way. Frankly, groups who pay the costs of preparing their own submissions should be given greater weight than those groups that are dependent on the government for their funding. Also, special interest groups which get money from the government may also think if they make favourable comments about the government's action plan that they will get even more money in the future," Breitkreuz said. 

He warned, "The application approval process itself may not be objective because of personal or departmental bias resulting in the government unintentionally funding organizations that are sympathetic with the government's philosophy and agenda. Finally, the projected cost of $4 million is just too much money." 

Breitkreuz continued, "We will be watching which special interest groups get funding from the Minister and which groups are denied. We will listen closely to what each of these groups have to say and we will keep a report card on how supportive they are of the government's agenda. We think our analysis will prove our worst fears." 

"The Liberal Government said they would make the Committee process more effective and the first time we present them with an opportunity to use some common sense, and save $3 million, they vote us down. Taxpayers are disgusted with these old style political tactics and will remember the next time they get into a voting booth," concluded Breitkreuz.

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