By this time, I know everyone, including myself, is sick and tired of
hearing about the exorbitant costs of the G20/G8 summits, but just for one
last kick at the (cash) can, I’m going to weigh in on it.
The costs of the meetings have been called “impossibly large” by
international economists.
And they’re so right. The most expensive summit before Canada’s was in 2008
in Japan, where they spent $123 million on security. Our government must
have been like I was over the weekend, tipsy and tipping with no descretion,
because of the $1.1 billion they’ve doled out, $938 million was spent on
security.
Then, just hours before the summit was to begin, they go and quietly enact
legislation that would allow police to arrest civilians for merely being too
close to the “security” fence.
Well, I guess they have to give the police something to do. It’s like the
government WANTED people to “misbehave” so they could have a wire cage full
of prisoners to show for all the money they spent.
As if to say “see, all these dangerous people we caught who wouldn’t show
their I.D.?”
All this for something that never had to be blown out of proportion in the
first place.
Sure, the leaders of all the rich countries could have come to Canada to
talk about the poor countries, but since all the meetings are closed-door
anyway, why even announce they’re coming to Canada?
Just quietly fly in, and fly out. Or,maybe use that venue in New York City –
what’s it called? G-92? Kinda, but I think it’s really called United Nations
Headquarters.
Why don’t they all get together and ask the less fortunate nations what it
is they want help with, instead of meeting behind their backs? But here they
are, spending precious dollars on keeping those pesky, mouthpiece Canadian
citizens well away from the meetings. Dollars that could be better spent on
the things they’re meeting about in the first place.
It is appalling to think about the cost of these summits, but what’s more
appalling is the sketchy explanation of where the money is going.
But, I guess, the more time we spend talking about how much this little
get-together is costing, the fake lakes, the buttersmooth roads, the
Berlin-esque wall in downtown Toronto, and sound cannons, the less time we
spend speculating what is actually going on behind those closed doors.
The G8/G20 won’t be remembered for the deals the leaders made. Those were
the secondary headlines. What made news was 1. the costs. 2. the terrible
abuse of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 3. rioting and burning police
cars, 4. the  fence, and 5. the impact it had on businesses.
All very clever distractions.