Monday, July 19, 2010

Canadian Space Agency Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: What waste?

Kudos to the media for trying to flob this on the Government and inserting the word quietly in order to push the narrative of sneaky. Clearly no agenda from the media. After all everyone likes to broadcast to a wider audience when they makes mistakes or fail.

Canadians understand how silos work. Wasteful or inefficient spending exists in all levels of Governments and public and private business.

Who is responsible for this program, monitoring the costs and lack of success? Are the agencies head, the agriculture minister or the Prime Minister? Do we elect forensic accountants as MPs to audit all expenses? Does the media ask if the existing controls are in place are working? Is this a typical failure for a government agency?
Beef Jerkey
Work on the moveable feast began in December 2006, when the Canadian Space Agency signed its first contract with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to develop "Good Tasting Foods for Space Travellers."

The space agency initially kicked in $65,000, while Agriculture Canada's contribution was budgeted at almost $350,000. The agency had hoped to have a made-in-Canada space menu ready in two years, approved by NASA, and placed permanently on U.S. flights.

Are you kidding me? Just more proof a program review by Stockwell Day is overdue and cuts across the board is necessary in government agencies. After consulting with five Chefs, a desire to reinvent the packaging, the single submission or winner is beef jerkey from Cold Lake, Alberta.

The last two points are both concerned with maximizing government efficiency and exercising fiscal restraint. As we follow our roadmap to return to a balanced budget, we need to take action to ensure that government lives within its means. All Canadians have had to make sacrifices over the past year. Families everywhere have had to take a look at their own expenses and set priorities. They expect their government to do the same, and that is exactly what we are doing.- National Post


Perhaps a twenty per cent cut is too small for some departments.

1 comment:

The_Iceman said...

What's wrong with good tasting food for space travelers? Golfing on the moon is on my "bucket list", though I suspect that goal may never be achieved... :(