Accountability-free

The Cons demonstrate another example of their belief that accountability doesn't apply to money sent to the provinces, as word comes out that the Harper government isn't bothering to check up on how provinces have spent the money provided under the federal/provincial health-care accord despite the provinces' agreement that they'd submit data as to how the money was spent:

(T)he federal and provincial governments have quietly abandoned one of the key elements of the 2003 first ministers' health accord, which was the requirement for accountability in the spending of billions of federal health dollars.

Jeanne Besner, interim chair of the Health Council of Canada, reported earlier this year that it is impossible to know where the federal money is going because provinces have not provided the necessary data.

"We are unable to say where the provinces and territories are investing funds from the federal health-care agreements because no financial breakdowns are provided," she said in her 2007 report.

The 2003 accord required that provinces provide comparable health indicators but they have not done so, and the federal-provincial committee overseeing the work has been disbanded, Besner said.

Of course, some of the blame has to lie with the previous Lib regime for also failing to follow through on securing the required data. But unlike the Cons, they at least left the structures in place which would have enabled the federal government to figure out where the money was spent.

In the face of today's news, the largest question going forward is how the provinces will react to the Cons' abandonment of the reporting requirement. For now, they figure to be happy to have no obligations associated with a large pile of money. But it seems all the more likely that the Cons are merely hinting at their long-term disinterest in health care, child care and other priorities by refusing to make sure money is spent wisely in those areas now. And if the provinces react with short-sighted approval which provides a boost to Harper, they stand to lose out more than anybody in the long run as the Cons' antipathy for effective social programs gets reflected in non-minority budgets.