Think Tank Already Challenging Ottawa Over Cost Of Afghanistan War
Numbers released by he Rideau Institute, an Ottawa based think tank, are challenging the cost of the war in Afghanistan as estimated by Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page today. Kevin Page's numbers are bad enough, estimating that Canadians will spend between $11 to $14 Billion on the War. That estimate amounts to about $1500 per Canadian household!
But the Rideau Institute numbers are much higher .... "The study was published on the eve of another long-awaited report from Kevin Page, the parliamentary budget officer. His analysis of war costs has been delayed while he sought all-party agreement to make it public during the election campaign. The Institute estimated the mission had already cost $17.2 billion, counting ammunition, equipment, salaries, health care, disability and death benefits, and economic aid projects. It says another $11.1 billion can be expected over the next three years."!
The Star
So ... if the Harper Government and the Liberal administration before it had listened to Layton and the New Democrats, this outrageous expenditure of public funds would not have been so extreme and a portion of it could have perhaps been used to actually do something constructive in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, almost 100 Canadian soldiers are dead, and you are paying a fortune for Harper to play 'Bush's lapdog' in international affairs!!
A bloody shame!
NOTE: Military apologists, Conservatives and Right Wing Liberals will likely contest the Rideau Institute's numbers saying that they include salaries and benefits for the troops. What refutes their argument is the increase in the actual size of the Canadian Armed Forces since Harper took power.
But the Rideau Institute numbers are much higher .... "The study was published on the eve of another long-awaited report from Kevin Page, the parliamentary budget officer. His analysis of war costs has been delayed while he sought all-party agreement to make it public during the election campaign. The Institute estimated the mission had already cost $17.2 billion, counting ammunition, equipment, salaries, health care, disability and death benefits, and economic aid projects. It says another $11.1 billion can be expected over the next three years."!
The Star
So ... if the Harper Government and the Liberal administration before it had listened to Layton and the New Democrats, this outrageous expenditure of public funds would not have been so extreme and a portion of it could have perhaps been used to actually do something constructive in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, almost 100 Canadian soldiers are dead, and you are paying a fortune for Harper to play 'Bush's lapdog' in international affairs!!
A bloody shame!
NOTE: Military apologists, Conservatives and Right Wing Liberals will likely contest the Rideau Institute's numbers saying that they include salaries and benefits for the troops. What refutes their argument is the increase in the actual size of the Canadian Armed Forces since Harper took power.
