AG Fraser to deliver stimulus verdict
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 | 10:35 AM ET
CBC News
Auditor General Sheila Fraser is expected to weigh in on how the first stages of the federal government's stimulus program were handled in a wide-ranging report to be released later on Tuesday.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser's report on Tuesday will examine a number of areas of government spending, including the first stages of the federal economic stimulus program. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)But ahead of the release of Fraser's report in Ottawa, opposition parties are downplaying their expectations over the most anticipated chapter, saying it likely won't be as damning as they're hoping for.
With many projects still underway, Fraser's report will focus on the criteria used to hand out cash and whether rules were followed. A full tallying of the money, and whether the $61 billion spent in two years worked, will have to wait until next year's report.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was already warning about potential trouble with stimulus funds management back in 2009.
"There will be some mistakes made, but it's worth that risk to help the majority of Canadians during what is a serious recession," he said at the time.
Liberal transport critic John McCallum said he thinks the stimulus fireworks will come next year, after the whole picture is known.
"I hope I'm wrong," McCallum told CBC News. "I hope it's very juicy, but I'm not holding my breath."
NDP finance critic Thomas Mulcair said believes there are deep problems to be found in the way stimulus cash was doled out.
"When you start off admitting that, to quote Jim Flaherty, 'Mistakes will be made,' you're already starting to cover your rear-end even before it started," he said.
But Mulcair said the auditor general has to lay the ground work before revealing potential misdeeds.
"She didn't only have one report on the sponsorship scandal, she had several," he said.
The opposition is expected to seize upon Fraser's report to criticize the government on a number of files
Fraser has been looking into a variety of subjects, including the acquisition of military helicopters, the regulation of big banks and the government's preparedness for outbreaks of animal diseases.
