It’s Always The Same
Greg Weston at the CBC reports that Canada’s embassy spending soars
Federal spending on Canadian embassy properties and diplomatic residences abroad has soared 430 per cent since Stephen Harper’s Conservative government came to power on a promise to rein in the diplomatic decorators.
…The largest single embassy project detailed in the public accounts for the past year was in Kabul, as Canada prepares to withdraw from its combat mission in Afghanistan and expand its civilian presence there.
Spending on the project in the past year topped $20 million, including $9 million for renovations, $11 million to buy property, and another $1.4 million to clear it of possible landmines.
Given that the people who become ambassadors tend to be “friends” of the Prime Minister/President, you certainly can’t expect them to make due with government issue office furniture. You have to put on a good show for the locals, so you can’t possibly scrimp on the cost. 😈
Eleven large for a chunk of property with land mines on it … someone saw them coming. This is the sort of deal that feeds real estate bubbles.
