Tuesday, December 19, 2006

A qualified positive

It's undoubtedly good news that the Cons have announced plans to extend funding to housing and social services. But in true Con style, they couldn't accomplish anything positive without ataching a couple of significant negatives.

First, there's the change in name from "National Homelessness Initiative" to "Homelessness Partnering Strategy". At best, this could be seen as a petty waste of money, sticking Canadian citizens with the cost of the Cons' effort to wipe out all memory of any meritorious initiatives which may have existed under the Libs. And at worst, it seems like a way to try to attach the "partnering" title to a social good in order to create some positive associations for a couple of highly dubious plans.

Second, it's worth noting that by the Cons' own standards regarding the previously-existing Kelowna Accord and child-care agreements, any federal spending commitment beyond the current year isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Which makes it all too likely that the Cons would renege on the second year's worth of funding in a second if they somehow managed to win a majority in the meantime.

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