Taxpayers’ watchdog group puts Sask. premier on ‘nice’ list

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The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s annual naughty and nice list gave three provincial premiers, including Scott Moe, a favourable review.

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OTTAWA — Costly broadcaster bonuses and boozy diplomats top the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s annual naughty and nice list.

Released Monday, the list — featuring 2024’s highs and lows in safeguarding Canadians’ tax dollars — features six members of the CTF’s ‘naughty’ list and five on their ‘nice’ list.

“Santa doesn’t like it when girls and boys are greedy, and forcing struggling taxpayers to pay for Santa-sized executive bonuses is as greedy as it gets,” said CTF’s federal director Franco Terrazzano.

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CBC president and CEO Catherine Tait tops this year’s naughty list, which accuses the national broadcaster of paying out $18 million in executive bonuses — money handed out at the same time the corporation received $42 million in an emergency top-up.

The government’s policy of continuing a costly and unpopular carbon tax during an unprecedented affordability crisis earned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau his spot.

“For hiking his carbon tax year after year, Trudeau lands himself on Santa’s naughty list,” the CTF wrote under Trudeau’s entry.

“Santa would give him a lump of coal, but Trudeau would probably try to carbon tax that too.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also found himself on this year’s naughty list, for breaking promises to end political welfare, which sees $12 million annually going to political parties based on the per-vote subsidy program.

“Ford promised Santa he would end Ontario’s political welfare scheme, now he’s breaking that promise and extending the per-vote subsidy for political parties for another two years,” the CTF wrote on their list.

Santa’s naughty list is rounded out by Global Affairs Canada for spending over $3 million on alcohol since 2019, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham for pushing through a 5.9 per cent property tax hike despite running on a platform to cut taxes, and Canada’s entire federal bureaucracy, which celebrated the end of 2024 by being the largest it’s been in Canadian history.

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Rowan Caseley, the former mayor of Kensington, P.E.I., tops the federation’s nice list; earlier this month, he resigned in protest after council approved a plan to spend $289,000 on six new pickleball courts — despite the tiny town already having four.

Caseley resigned in protest over the move, earning Christmas kudos from the CTF.

“Instead of doing the easy thing and wasting taxpayers’ money, Casely did the right thing and resigned in protest,” the CTF wrote.

“After Caselely’s good deed, council reversed its plan to waste tax dollars on more pickleball courts.”

Three provincial premiers — Newfoundland’s Andrew Furey, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Alberta’s Danielle Smith — found themselves on Santa’s nice list.

Furey earned his spot for his three-year plan to cut fuel taxes by eight cents, while Smith was praised for filing a constitutional challenge over the federal carbon tax, and Moe for his legislation to remove the carbon tax from home heating.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux was also celebrated, for setting the record straight on the carbon tax.

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“When the Trudeau government told a fib that Canadians are richer because of the carbon tax, the PBO made a list and checked it three times,” the CTF wrote.

“The PBO showed the carbon tax costs average families hundreds of dollars more than they get back in rebates.”

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