Harper: No point funding programs 'people actually don't wan't'

Well that settles it then. That is a good enough reason to cut $45million from Arts and Culture groups. I'm certain those groups will agree. Cue gaffe #4 in the Conservative campaign.

I don't think this will play out well in Quebec, Toronto and Vancouver. Call me crazy.

In his first detailed defence of $45-million in controversial cuts to arts and culture funding, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper called his party's decisions good governance and said the government must walk “a fine line” between providing financial stability and “funding things that people actually don't want.”

You think it's easy to make choices?

“There are some people who say, ‘Well, it isn't good enough to increase funding for the arts, you have to increase funding for every single program.' My simple response is that no responsible government can manage the government that way. You have to select priorities and you have to make choices,” he said.

He's still building FIREWALLS AROUND ALBERTA. The name of his Band? The Firewalls!!! Stephane Dion was right!

And he occasionally performs at parties with his informal band of friends and staff, Stephen and the Firewalls, a delightfully ironic name given his government's reputation for secrecy.

Perhaps he should start by reviewing how much he spent on polling first!

“If you don't do that, what you have over time, and frankly what we inherited, was growth of government spending without any resulting improvement in government programming overall. It's just a discipline you have to maintain and it doesn't mean you're slashing some artist or you're slashing farmers or whatever. It simply means that you are constantly reviewing your spending,” he said.