Mr. Speaker, like the swallows' returning signals the coming of spring, so Liberal announcements of subsidies signal the coming of an election and a campaign of vote buying.
There is no rational defence of the subsidies to film makers and Bombardier which were announced recently. Canadian business representatives urged the finance committee to end all subsidies to industry. Huge subsidies to the Atlantic provinces were shown to have hurt rather than helped economic development.
All subsidies hurt the innocent competitors of the beneficiary. To add insult to injury, the subsidies are financed with taxes paid by the competitors. Job creation through a subsidy is matched by jobs lost through taxation.
Subsidies at election time are a Liberal tradition that stinks.