As you may know, there is currently a federal investigation into approximately $100 milliion dollars in misspent federal money, which went to ad agencies who basically did nothing for the government. Yesterday’s Globe and Mail had the top headline “Firm Got Cash to Attend NHL Games” reveals that the Canadian government spent $133,000 a year in 1997-8 and 1998-9 for use of corporate boxes at Ottawa’s Corel Centre, plus $27,000 yearly for catering. An Ottawa PR firm then billed them for 3414 hours of work mostly to attend events at the Centre.
Of course I’m used to American government, where this kind of money is routinely misspent in military efforts to topple regimes around the world or to hire PR firms to launch clandestine PR campaigns to try and propagandize the American public (Clinton and both Bush administrations did it). So I’m thrilled to live in a country where people are scandalized by much less, and at greater length. But the scandal really came home for me when I saw what the ad agency people attended:
NHL Hockey Games (well, that’s normal)
Alan Jackson (um, not my taste)
Backstreet Boys (this is getting ooky)
Shania Twain and Neil Diamond (not my demographic but understandable)
and then
Lords of the Dance
a World Wrestling Federation event.
I ask you, citizens, where is the outrage? Lords of the Dance? Lords of the Dance?
Enough said.