The Stimulus: No Scandals, No Waste, No Jobs

In a much-anticipated report, the auditor general gave the thumbs up to the Economic Action Plan, but there are more Canadians unemployed today than when it took effect.

Auditor General Sheila Fraser released her report into government spending yesterday, and found nary a penny of the Conservatives’ $61-billion economic stimulus plan out of place. Fraser said that in the vast majority of cases the money was spent appropriately, quickly, and without favouritism towards Conservative ridings.

Sure, the program was well managed, writes the National Post’s Tasha Kheiriddin, but that’s not the point. “Increased economic activity was supposed to translate into increased employment. But so far, it hasn’t done so in any significant way. From its peak of 8.7% just over a year ago, the jobless rate is now 8.0%, the same level as in December 2008, and a full two points above where it stood before the economic crisis hit.” The whole point of the plan was to get more Canadians working, and “the proper management of an ineffective program does not make it any more successful or acceptable.”

The Globe and Mail declares the plan a triumph for big government, “a case example of how accountable, high-performing government officials can quickly launch major public works projects.” The Tories shrewdly streamlined the approval process without sacrificing the scrutiny needed to prevent corruption, and chose ‘shovel-ready’ projects to ensure the money took effect quickly. Somewhat curiously, the Globe acknowledges that few jobs have actually been created by the job-creation program, but calls criticism on that point “nit-picking.”

If the Conservatives did do a good job, they’re going to have to be satisfied with patting themselves on the back and getting back to work, writes the Vancouver Sun’s Barbara Yaffe, because voters don't seem to have noticed. “At the end of the day, the government surely dodged a bullet with Fraser's clean bill of health on the stimulus program,” she writes. But “a new Angus Reid poll reported: ‘Confidence in Stephen Harper's ability to do the right thing to help the economy plummeted this month.” The opposition didn’t get any evidence of juicy scandals, and the government didn’t won any votes. “Which suggests that politically, no party has benefited much as a result of the Economic Action Plan.”