The federal prompt rich firms to sports matches

Guillaume St-Pierre

Monday, December 18, 2017 22:01

UPDATE
Monday, December 18, 2017 22:01

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OTTAWA-The conservative opposition says it is outraged that the federal government has spent the last year more than $ 15,000 in tickets to baseball games, golf, or curling) to invite, among others, of the patrons of the american giants such as Amazon, Boeing, or Microsoft.

“It is sure that it was shocking to see how it uses taxpayers ‘money,” said Steven Blaney, Monday, from his constituency office in Lévis. Mr. Blaney has found that the federal government has spent at least 15 726 $ in tickets sports of any kind since the election of the liberals of Justin Trudeau.

The news was first reported by the specialized site IPolitics. Most of the ministries and federal agencies have provided a report more or less detailed of their purchases, which means that the table is not complete.

In Seattle

Canada post has refused to say how many have cost eight tickets to a golf tournament and four passes for the Rogers Cup of tennis.

“The information requested is of a financial nature, and they have always been treated as confidential “, the pretext the mail service.

Alone, the ministry of foreign Affairs has spent not less than 7653 $ to invite business partners to a game of the Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle, June 11, 2017. The department has purchased 90 tickets for an initial cost of 13 767 $ ; 6114 $ have been refunded by its ” partners “.

Amazon and company

Of canadian diplomats have worked at the event organized to celebrate the Canada day patrons of Air Canada, Boeing, Amazon and Microsoft. It was impossible to know, Monday, the guests of these companies have reimbursed in whole or in part of their input.

Photo courtesy

“The foreign missions of global Affairs in Canada have recourse to cultural events to stimulate discussions with stakeholders and partners on the priorities of the government of Canada,” says the ministry in its reply to the deputy Blaney.

“Culture remains a valuable instrument to support public diplomacy, trade promotion, defence of the interests” of the country, note-t-on also.

This practice should be stopped since 2013. The ex-minister John Baird was at that time forbidden to the canadian diplomats to invite, at great expense, foreign dignitaries and business people to sports events. The minister conservative, had to intervene after the NDP was revealed that canadian diplomats had spent tens of thousands of dollars in hockey tickets in lodges.

– With the collaboration of Émilie Bergeron