OTTAWA – Responding to the Auditor General’s scathing report that revealed $3.1 billion unaccounted for in anti-terrorism funding, the Harper government defended itself claiming it was a generous gratuity
“Look, we can’t be cheapskates,” Prime Minister Harper said in a media scrum outside the House of Commons. “The government of Canada can’t take advantage of the security of Canadians and come across like we’re penny-pinching beggars in front renowned defence industries like Lockheed Martin or Raytheon. My defence minister should not look like a Dutchman when purchasing a multi-billion dollar F-35 contract. As Canadians, we get better service if we tip 25 percent in cash.”
Tory spokesman Robert Peterson echoed the Prime Minister’s views. “If Jack Stanton of Lockheed thinks we’re stingy, he’s never going to invite us back to his place for a nightcap, which is the name of the new line of stealth bombers they’re coming out with.”
The Prime Minister’s comments were in contradiction to Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s comments who blamed the problem on forgetting to ask for a receipt.
