CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (LifeSiteNews) — The Trudeau government has refused Prince Edward Island (PEI) disaster relief money after a devastating hurricane in 2022, while at the same time giving millions to pro-LGBT groups across the country.
On August 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to reimburse Maritime Electric, the province of PEI’s electricity supplier, around $36 million in post-storm costs after hurricane Fionna hit the coastal region last fall, claiming the company failed to qualify under the Disaster Financial Assistance Program (DFAA).
“As of today, I don’t think I feel much more confidence in that the [$36]-million bill from Maritime Electric for pole reconstruction and vegetation is going to be dealt with under the disaster program,” said PEI Premier Dennis King.
“We felt that would be covered, and now learning that it isn’t over the last few days is to say disappointing,” he added.
Maritime Electric is requesting to be reimbursed for money spent on materials to repair downed power lines, including labor, in addition to food and accommodations for those who came from outside the province to help.
King explained that Ottawa had promised last November to cover Maritime Electric’s spending related to storm cleanup.
Under the DFAA program in October 2022, the federal government was to pay 90 percent for natural disaster clean-up and the remaining 10 percent would be covered by provincial governments.
When nearly 90 percent of PEI residents were left without power after the storm, Trudeau declared that the federal funds would go towards “projects to repair and rebuild storm-damaged critical infrastructure.”
However, according to a letter provided by King from Bill Blair, former minister of emergency preparedness, Maritime Electric qualifies as a private company, not a small business, under DFAA guidelines. Therefore, the company is ineligible to receive funding.
“I am conscious that eligibility guidelines are limiting for some sectors given the current definition for small businesses,” wrote Blair.
“Providing support to public utility companies to respond to impacts of Hurricane Fiona would create a precedent for future extreme weather events whereby the responsibility for costs associated for storm preparedness and/or response shifts from public utility companies to the Federal Government,” he added.
In 2023, the federal government budgeted $1 billion for disaster relief as a result of hurricane Fiona. However, according to an email released by the federal office for Emergency Preparedness, PEI will likely not receive any of the funds.
“We recognize that there are ways this program can be improved to better serve Canadians and reduce the risks they experience by building greater resiliency,” the email read.
“Last year, we announced an advisory panel of experts from the public sector, academia, non-profit, Indigenous communities, and the private sector that provided recommendations around how to improve the sustainability and long-term viability of disaster financing in Canada and improve DFAA program administration,” it continued.
According to King, if the Trudeau government continues to refuse to reimburse Maritime Electric, PEI residents will be forced to pay the bill, resulting in increased electricity rates of 2-3 percent. This would be a large increase considering PEI already has among the highest electricity rates in Canada.
“Unless we find a way to deal with this, it’s going to be tough news for Islanders to hear, and it’s very tough news for me to hear,” said PEI Premier Dennis King. “I was quite disappointed that that’s the case.”
Despite this, King voiced hope that he can convince the federal government to reconsider their decision. However, Canadians in PEI are not the only ones to be abandoned by the Trudeau government.
A recent report revealed that Canadian soldiers deployed in Latvia have been left to buy their own military gear while the Canadian government has provided recently arrived Danish soldiers with supplies.
Canadian soldiers fighting to defend their homeland were similarly abandoned this year in Poland when the Trudeau government declined to pay for their meals due to a massive backlog of reimbursements slated for other soldiers.
While many Canadians are left to struggle with high taxes and insufficient government aid, the Trudeau government is pouring taxpayers dollars into LGBT organizations.
In early August, Liberal Minister for Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien promised more than $800,000 to Maritime LGBT organizations, one of which hosts sexually grotesque seminars.
Recently disclosed records show that Trudeau’s government gave $12 million of taxpayer money to fund “pride” organizations and events from 2020 to 2022.
Similarly, in June, the Trudeau government pledged $1.5 million in what it claims was “emergency funding” for increased security at LGBT “Pride Month” celebrations.