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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060808/military_spending_controls_060808/20060808?hub=TopStories
The Conservative government has given itself the right to dole out $8 billion worth of military contracts to the West, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, reports The Globe and Mail.
The Harper government is using an extraordinary "national security" clause as part of the continuing purchase of new planes and helicopters, says The Globe.
By using this clause, the spending will be exempt from the Agreement on Internal Trade with the provinces. The agreement, which came into effect in 1995, prohibits the federal government from steering contract work to specific parts of the country.
Ottawa will now be able to impose regional quotas on the economic benefits of the contracts, a federal official told The Globe.
Before the agreement was signed -- in 1994 -- decisions on contracts were often criticized by the provinces and regions, who claimed they were awarded based on regional political considerations.
Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh told the newspaper this could lead to "the worst kind of pork-barrelling by this government, behind closed doors, without accountability to anyone in this country."
Ottawa said in July it wants to buy 16 Chinook helicopters for $2.7 billion and four C-17 Globemaster cargo air for $3.4 billion from Boeing Co. With 20 years of maintenance, the total cost would be $8 billion.
The Public Works Department said in a news release that market research suggests Boeing appeared to be the only company that could meet the government's requirements for these aircraft. However, it has allowed firms to bid on the contracts.
According to the report in Tuesday's Globe, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier has already travelled to the U.S. to meet with officials from Boeing.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor also announced in July plans to buy 17 tactical aircraft to replace Canada's fleet of Hercules airplanes, at a cost of $4.9 billion.
The Conservative government has given itself the right to dole out $8 billion worth of military contracts to the West, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, reports The Globe and Mail.
The Harper government is using an extraordinary "national security" clause as part of the continuing purchase of new planes and helicopters, says The Globe.
By using this clause, the spending will be exempt from the Agreement on Internal Trade with the provinces. The agreement, which came into effect in 1995, prohibits the federal government from steering contract work to specific parts of the country.
Ottawa will now be able to impose regional quotas on the economic benefits of the contracts, a federal official told The Globe.
Before the agreement was signed -- in 1994 -- decisions on contracts were often criticized by the provinces and regions, who claimed they were awarded based on regional political considerations.
Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh told the newspaper this could lead to "the worst kind of pork-barrelling by this government, behind closed doors, without accountability to anyone in this country."
Ottawa said in July it wants to buy 16 Chinook helicopters for $2.7 billion and four C-17 Globemaster cargo air for $3.4 billion from Boeing Co. With 20 years of maintenance, the total cost would be $8 billion.
The Public Works Department said in a news release that market research suggests Boeing appeared to be the only company that could meet the government's requirements for these aircraft. However, it has allowed firms to bid on the contracts.
According to the report in Tuesday's Globe, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier has already travelled to the U.S. to meet with officials from Boeing.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor also announced in July plans to buy 17 tactical aircraft to replace Canada's fleet of Hercules airplanes, at a cost of $4.9 billion.
