Pierre Poilievre’s website says Canada not built on ‘freebies’ as MP criss-crosses country handing out cheques

[Lockout Casualty]

Pierre Poilievre’s website says Canada not built on ‘freebies’ as MP criss-crosses country handing out cheques

Pierre Poilievre’s own website is warning people about accepting government largesse, even as the Conservative MP and minister has taken the lead in dispensing child-care benefit cheques to thousands of Canadians this summer.

“Canada was built on freedoms, not freebies,” reads one of several rotating banners at the top of pierremp.ca.

Another reads: “Government cannot give anything, without first taking it away.”

While a politician featuring his own inspirational quotes on his site is already a questionable decision, those particular pearls of wisdom come at an awkward time for the MP for Nepean-Carleton, who has been active over the last week promoting the government’s newly expanded Universal Child Care Benefit, which resulted in lump-sum payments to parents of $420 to $520 for the first seven months of 2015.

Poilievre has branded the benefits splurge “Christmas in July” and even encouraged people to tweet about receiving their cash.

@PierrePoilievre

Moms and dads, if you got your child care money, please let us know by posting on twitter! Want to make sure it arrived!

The opposition has suggested the timing of the cheques, right before the federal election campaign kicks off, amounts to vote-buying. Poilievre even appeared at a press conference about the UCCB Monday wearing a golf shirt emblazoned with the Conservative Party’s “C” logo.

The federal government announced last October it would boost the monthly UCCB payment for kids under six from $100 to $160. It also added a $60 payment for anyone between six and 17. The increased amounts came into effect Jan. 1, although payment was delayed until July. The Conservatives have touted their expanded benefits as a way for parents to choose their own child care, as opposed to the kind of national child-care plan proposed by Tom Mulcair and the federal NDP.

However, the beefed up UCCB payments don’t tell the full story. The government has also cancelled the Child Tax Credit, which was a non-refundable tax credit parents could claim for each child under 18.

The UCCB payments currently making their way into chequing accounts across the country are also taxable, which means the Canada Revenue Agency will claw some of it back come tax time, making Poilievre’s warning about government taking what it giveth even more prescient.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/pierre-poilievres-website-says-canada-not-built-on-freebies-as-mp-criss-crosses-country-handing-out-cheques

I mean, it's Poilievre, so what do you expect? I mean, the guy quotes himself on his own website. Like, come on dude.

I wonder how the real conservatives feel about this. This kind of brazen redistribution to families with children of public money surely should be cause for concern, right?

This only makes the Conservatives look more like a joke than they already do. To anyone who isn't deaf, dumb, and blind anyway. The other 30%? Hopeless. Would vote for a door knob if it wore a blue shirt with a C on it. And in Poilievre's case, already have.

[Derp...]

There's no good parties anymore

[thejazz97]

There's no good parties anymore

[Baer.]

Where do these guys come from?