Newly released records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation show the federal election debates cost more than $9 million..“Why do taxpayers have to pay for debates that every news outlet in the country will cover anyway?” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF..“Politicians will figure out a way to get their mugs in front of a camera, so taxpayers don’t need to be paying for it.”.The government-created Leaders Debate Commission was formed in 2018 to run the election debates with federal funding..From 2018 to 2021 the commission spent more than $4.3 million of taxpayer’s money and has budgeted an additional $4.4 million in the 2021-2022 books..Debate production costs used to be shared throughout the private sector through a variety of Canadian television networks at no cost to taxpayers..“Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for this when it’s clear businesses are capable of broadcasting the debates,” said Terrazzano..“The feds are already more than $1 trillion in debt and ending the government’s Debate Commission is a prime place for savings.”.The commission also spent more than $300,000 on lawyers in court battles which were lost, and budgeted $400,000 for lawyers in the upcoming year..Conservative MP Corey Tochor was not surprised costs were going up, and he questioned the value received from money given to the commission..“People will remember the one disastrous debate [in 2021] where they had nine different MCs or commissioners on the stage,” said Tochor..“It was a gong show.”.He said he thinks debates should be covered through the private sector, as it was done in the past..“I would be on the side that we wind this down,” said Tochor..As for the $1.7 million paid to CBC for the 2019 debate, the commission said it gave the contract for debate production to a partnership of 10 news organizations, with CBC acting on behalf of the partnership..The CBC received $1.4 billion in federal grants last year according to the CTF..Ewa Sudyk is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.esudyk@westernstandardonline.com
Newly released records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation show the federal election debates cost more than $9 million..“Why do taxpayers have to pay for debates that every news outlet in the country will cover anyway?” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF..“Politicians will figure out a way to get their mugs in front of a camera, so taxpayers don’t need to be paying for it.”.The government-created Leaders Debate Commission was formed in 2018 to run the election debates with federal funding..From 2018 to 2021 the commission spent more than $4.3 million of taxpayer’s money and has budgeted an additional $4.4 million in the 2021-2022 books..Debate production costs used to be shared throughout the private sector through a variety of Canadian television networks at no cost to taxpayers..“Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for this when it’s clear businesses are capable of broadcasting the debates,” said Terrazzano..“The feds are already more than $1 trillion in debt and ending the government’s Debate Commission is a prime place for savings.”.The commission also spent more than $300,000 on lawyers in court battles which were lost, and budgeted $400,000 for lawyers in the upcoming year..Conservative MP Corey Tochor was not surprised costs were going up, and he questioned the value received from money given to the commission..“People will remember the one disastrous debate [in 2021] where they had nine different MCs or commissioners on the stage,” said Tochor..“It was a gong show.”.He said he thinks debates should be covered through the private sector, as it was done in the past..“I would be on the side that we wind this down,” said Tochor..As for the $1.7 million paid to CBC for the 2019 debate, the commission said it gave the contract for debate production to a partnership of 10 news organizations, with CBC acting on behalf of the partnership..The CBC received $1.4 billion in federal grants last year according to the CTF..Ewa Sudyk is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.esudyk@westernstandardonline.com
