Victor Boudreau & RDC

The Telegraph Journal had an article today about our Regional Development Corporation.

For those not familiar with RDC, it is sort of like a provincial version of ACOA, with no oversight, measurement or rules. And let's be honest, ACOA is not exactly non-partisan, they just cover their 'investments' with a long and detailed paper trail. Enough paper to cover the largest tushie.

Finance Minister Victor Boudreau fell all over himself trying to justify RDC. Some of his better quotes from the article:

"The return on investment is sometimes not calculated in dollars and cents or in the numbers of jobs "

"There's a benefit in every one of the projects we do."

"I don't know if you can calculate it every time, but there are definitively benefits beyond simply job creation and tax dollars,"

For anyone struggling to keep up, the 'return on investment' will be measured in September 2010. RDC is a provincial government vote-buying department. Makes one yearn for the time when a pint of whisky would suffice.

The Regional Development Corporation is a wasteland of political appointees buying votes, nothing more. I am sure there are wonderful Graham supporters, left over Lord appointees and maybe even someone able to facilitate MLA's crossing the floor at RDC. They are toiling away endlessly trying to help the good citizens of New Brunswick. Or they are wasting your money and mine giving it to the politically connected.

But how does the Finance Minister get rid of the Pork Barrel Mechanism of Last Resort. Where then does an MLA turn to get your money to give to a golf course or vacation cottage?