After the photo op is locked down, what’s a broken promise or two?

In 2007, when Canada announced its own Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, Canada committed that the CHVI "would not compromise Canada's international support of AIDS vaccines."  The CHVI is a $139-million, five-year joint venture between Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was announced to great fanfare in February 2007.

See?  Here’s the Big Guy with the Rich Guy making the announcement and Steve smiling for the camera like finding a cure for AIDS was always his secret mission.

While the photo remains crisp and clear on the PMO bragging site, the promises has faded...considerably.

But three years later, less than $9 million has been spent on CHVI, including almost $700,000 on a proposed $88-million vaccine production facility which was scrapped last month.

Canada has pulled the plug on funding to one of the largest AIDS vaccine development agencies in the world. 

I guess Fat Boy has to keep the christo-facists happy.   Can’t be spending money trying to minimize god’s pride and joy, the gay plague.

Steve’s precious world stage™? 

Stephen Lewis, co-director of AIDS Free World in the U.S. and former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said the global AIDS research community now knows Canada can't be counted on to help.  "This government is now abandoning one of the greatest vaccine initiatives in the world," said Lewis, who is on the board of IAVI. "I just think it's unconscionable."

Steve had a busy week breaking promises -

Broken promise or broken calculator?

The federal budget promised to inject $30 million into the Prince Edward Island economy and create 300 jobs but The Guardian has learned the project only costs $2 million and the money was spent last fall.





Here’s the shiny picture:

Still nice’n sharp on the PMO site, but the details of the promise to PEI are rather blurry:

Erik Waddell, a spokesman for federal Industry Minister Tony Clement, says there is no funding for the Centre of Excellence and no $30-million cheque coming to P.E.I.’s only university.  “It’s pretty clear from what’s there, that does not say there is a $30-million cheque in the mail to UPEI,” Waddell said in an interview from Ottawa. “Really, what it says is that the investments to UPEI are going to generate jobs and economic growth in the Island economy.”

I’d love to learn how to convert 2 million to 30 million, wouldn’t you?  Let’s ask:

But when pushed, Waddell confirmed the only project to receive funding from the federal government is $2 million for renovations to existing buildings on the Charlottetown campus and that money was received last fall.  The work has already been carried out...When asked how $2 million in federal funding could inject $30 million into the Island economy, Waddell said: “The numbers in there are based on submissions we got from the university in terms of the expected economic impact.”

Charles Lammam (of the Fraser Institute)...said the federal government is trying to justify its massive spending initiatives, which have also translated into massive deficits, by using a multiplier-effect that is not supported by economic evidence.

“A multiplier of 1.5 per cent would mean that $1 the government spends magically translates into $1.50 increase in GDP. Even with that number, you can’t get $30 million from $2 million.”

Oh...magically. With the airport hissy fits among the CONs lately, one of them may have broken a mirror, jinxed the magic.

Or it’s the Liberals fault.

(Adscam.)