REGINA – More than $10 million worth of upgrades are coming for military infrastructure in Saskatchewan, with the bulk of it spent at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
It’s the latest in a string of funding announcements by the Conservative government, which critics have said is an attempt to buy votes ahead of the October federal election.
“It’s not anything to do with the political machinations some people are suggesting are going on, said Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski, who led Wednesday’s event in Moose Jaw.
It doesn’t hurt, though, that the three major political parties are already in campaign mode. This week, increased child care benefits were made official and several more funding announcements followed across the country.
University of Regina political scientist Jim Farney says it’s all carefully calculated.
“How do we tell them we care about them? Infrastructure announcements.”
“People with kids under 16 are swing voters. They could go NDP, they could go Liberal, they could go Conservative,” Farney said. “So the Conservatives are using this opportunity to have the attention drawn to them as your friends.”
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Lukiwski made the announcement in Moose Jaw despite the fact he isn’t the Member of Parliament for that riding – he currently represents Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre. Lukiwski says it was because of a scheduling conflict for Ray Boughen, the outgoing Palliser MP.
But Lukiwski will be running there under re-drawn electoral boundaries – which may mean, if you live in the new Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan district, the Conservatives have an even bigger target on your vote.
“How do we tell them we care about them? It’s infrastructure announcements,” Farney said.
Opponents like Liberal MP Ralph Goodale point to what he calls “re-announcements” – celebrations of money already set aside; in this case, $452 million promised for national defense infrastructure in November 2014.
“If the government were announcing new investment … the announcement would be legitimate,” Goodale said.
Whether it’s an attempt to sway voters, or just keeping a promise – it may well be decided at the polls this fall.
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