Article content material

Authorities departments and ministries are spending massive cash on promotional objects and branded merchandise, newly launched paperwork present, together with $200,000 on reusable luggage and tens of millions of {dollars} in Canadian flag allotments for parliamentarians.

Article content material

The 445-page response to an order paper query submitted by Conservative MP John Brassard lists what was spent between Jan. 1, 2021, and Might 2, 2023, on varied branded trinkets and promotional objects — expenditures the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Franco Terrazzano dismiss as largely frivolous.

Article content material

“It’s like the federal government had a contest to see which division might provide you with the dumbest solution to spend taxpayers’ cash and so they all gained,” Terrazzano stated.

“That is what occurs when you will have too many bureaucrats with an excessive amount of time and cash on their arms.”

Among the many priciest line objects was $1.9 million spent by Canadian Heritage to buy giant Canadian flags for parliamentarians between 2021 and 2023.

Article content material

Fiscal 12 months 2021-22 noticed the biggest annual flag expenditure, spending $840,225 to buy 25,500 flags at $32.95 a bit.

Canadian Heritage additionally spent $221,597 outfitting members of parliament with 2.8 million small paper Canadian flags, and $291,616 for over six million Canadian flag lapel pins.

The Division of Nationwide Defence has spent over $1.06 million on promotional objects since January 2021, principally for recruiting and outreach functions.

Nationwide Defence spent over $285,000 forward of subsequent 12 months’s RCAF centennial celebrations, together with $24,985 on tote luggage, $22,628 on baggage tags, $18,729 on centennial patches, and over $30,000 on pens.

Article content material

DND spent over $253,000 for promotional pens alone, in keeping with the paperwork.

As well as, almost 9,000 euros ($13,000) was spent by Battle Group Latvia to buy laser-engraved espresso mugs, water bottles and carabiners, in addition to stickers that includes battle group and NATO logos, for “public engagement occasions by Battle Group Latvia over the span of a number of operational excursions.”

One other massive spender was Fisheries and Oceans Canada, who in keeping with their response spent $916,577 in promotional objects, however opted to withhold data on what every merchandise was, why it was bought and what nation the merchandise was manufactured in, regardless of offering over 450 separate line objects with greenback quantities and file numbers.

Article content material

The Nationwide Publish reached out to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for remark.

One other division less-than-forthcoming with their promotional spend was the Canadian Safety Intelligence Service, who confirmed the spy company did certainly buy promotional objects to be used at conferences, workshops and different occasions, however declined to elaborate within the pursuits of safety.

The Communication Safety Institution, Canada’s nationwide cryptologic and cybersecurity company, had no such qualms — reporting over $42,000 spent on CSE-branded shirts, lanyards, hand sanitizer, water bottles, pens and socks.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police additionally declined to offer data, explaining that the knowledge wasn’t “systematically tracked in a centralized database,” and claimed they didn’t have sufficient time to offer a response.

Article content material

CBC/Radio Canada additionally stated there wasn’t sufficient time to offer a response.

The CRTC declined to state how a lot it spent on 150 journals and 150 baggage tags, because it “constitutes third-party delicate knowledge.”

The Canada Council for the Arts, the Museum for Science and Innovation, the Canada Museum for Human Rights, Canada Lands Firm, Canada Publish, Defence Building Canada and Telefilm Canada likewise withheld what they spent on promotional objects, citing “delicate knowledge.”

Parks Canada additionally offered no data on the over 520 objects it spent a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} on, claiming particulars weren’t tracked within the division’s monetary administration system.

Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada spent $45,125 on maple leaf lapel pins and $31,753 in little Canadian flags for citizenship ceremonies, in addition to over $47,500 for pens, lanyards, flyers and brochures for distribution at occasions all over the world.

Article content material

Farm Credit score Canada spent $10,640 to buy 11,000 branded air fresheners, $74,844.50 on FCC hats, $22,150 on cooler luggage, over $100,000 on varied tote luggage, and $25,462.50 on branded rain gauges.

Canada’s federally managed bridges additionally bought merchandise, together with $9,737 in shirts, $1,994 for branded lunch bins, $2,500 in cotton luggage and $1,113 for optical mice for worker recognition packages on the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.; $988 in branded sweet, $2,030 in “branded masks,” and $1,295 in bike reflectors for the under-construction Gordie Howe Worldwide Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor.

Vacation spot Canada — a crown company liable for selling Canada as a vacationer vacation spot — spent $19,000 on cross-body luggage, $14,4000 on beanies, $15,873 on moccasins and $9,000 on branded charcuterie boards.

Throughout departments that offered data and value breakdowns, round $200,000 was spent on branded reusable luggage.

• Electronic mail: bpassifiume@postmedia.com | Twitter: @bryanpassifiume

Article content material