More fun with priorities

Remember the urgent purchase of military aircraft that couldn't afford to wait for a full public tendering process? Apparently some things are more urgent than others:

The federal government has delayed a $12-billion purchase of military aircraft until after the next election, deferring political fallout over buying foreign products, The Canadian Press has learned...

“It’s unanimous — we’re not moving with it now,” a government official said on condition of anonymity.

“We’re not moving with this before an election.

“It’s all on the basis of the ferocious lobbying by industry. It’s all Toronto-Montreal-Bombardier politics.”

While the Con take on this will surely be one of military weakness, the more important theme is that of good governance. The government's refusal to apply the full tendering process indicates that getting good value with public money isn't apparently a top Liberal priority. That's bad enough in itself, but it becomes downright inexcusable when contrasted with a willingness to reach the opposite conclusion based solely on a desire to avoid political fallout.

Once again, image ranks above substance when it comes to the Libs' policy choices. And that's a fact that needs to be pointed out when Canadians decide who they want managing the public purse.