One of the newspaper’s rural correspondents noted recently that Canada is celebrating 150 years of confederation in 2017. She suggested we should all be thinking of ways to mark the occasion.
One thought might be to apply for funding from the Canada 150 fund. According to the Canada 150 Fund website, “The goal of the Canada 150 Fund is to create opportunities for Canadians to participate in local, regional, and national celebrations that contribute to building a sense of pride and attachment to Canada.”
The fund will also go to “A limited number of high impact, large-scale projects that are national in scope will also be supported through the Canada 150 Fund as Pan-Canadian Signature Projects.”
According to Battlefords MP Gerry Ritz, however, Conservative ridings need not apply, which excludes all but one riding in Saskatchewan.
In a press release, Ritz claims only three per cent of the $30 million available in the fund has found its way into Conservative ridings.
Ritz says, “As the National Post reported, the $30 million breaks down as the following – the Liberals, with 182 seats in the House of Commons, have received $153,296 per MP, the NDP, with 44 seats, have received $24,517 per MP and the Conservatives,with 97 seats, have received $9,030 per MP.
Ritz is calling on the Liberal government to be transparent and release the numbers on where all the funding for the Canada 150 projects has been allocated.
So, while Canadians in Liberal and a few NDP ridings can look to the Canada 150 Fund for money to fund celebrations this summer, most of us in Saskatchewan will have to find ways to make our own fun.
Not that we aren’t among the best at doing just that, it still doesn’t seem like an equitable situation.
