Canada's New Government, as it likes to call itself, is doing what every other government has traditionally done when it finds itself getting beat up politically: It's spending money.

Though Parliament has been in summer recess for just 13 days, the federal government has issued 78 press releases in which it announced, re-announced, or took credit for more than $5-billion in spending.

Most of the announcements took place in regions, such as Atlantic Canada, where the Conservatives have been seen their political fortunes droop in the last several weeks.

The lion's share of the funding has come in three announcements made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper --  a $3.1-billion navy frigate upgrade; a $1.5-billion ethanol program; and a $210-million highway improvement program -- but in each case, the Prime Minister made those announcements in an area where he needs to boost his political support: Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.

But a 麻豆影视 analysis of spending announcements in the first two weeks of Parliament's summer recess show that Conservative MPs were getting their names in local papers for all sorts of projects:

  • Ontario MP Scott Reid announced that the Royal Canadian Legion in the town of Napanee in eastern Ontario was getting $1,500 for a parade it wants to hold in September.
  • Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, who represents a riding on Vancouver Island, announced that his government was giving $3,500 to the Galiano Concert Society, a volunteer group that puts on music concerts in Lunn's riding.
  • James Moore, a Conservative who represents a Vancouver-area riding, handed over a cheque for $5,000 to the Port Moody Heritage Society so it could put on a Canada Day event

There were no funding announcements made by MPs of any other party.

But it was Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay who got his name on the most press releases in the first two weeks. MacKay, who in addition to being Foreign Affairs Minister, is also the minister in charge of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, had his name on 27 press releases. Two of those releases were for spending of about $32-million on overseas projects by the Department of Foreign Affairs. But the rest of the announcements - worth a combined $18-million - were for projects in Atlantic Canada including:

  • $500,000 from ACOA's Innovative Communities Fund for a soccer stadium in Stellarton, NS. Stellarton is in MacKay's riding.
  • $267,500 for an Iron Man Competition to be held in Corner Brook, Nfld. Corner Brook is in the riding of Liberal MP Gerry Byrne.
  • $500,000 to restore a historic railway station in McAdam, NB. McAdam is in the riding of Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson.

Atlantic Canada has been the most common location for spending announcements in the first two weeks, with a total of 43 releases announcing combined spending of $3.34-billion.

By comparison, Ottawa has made announcements in so-called "vote-rich" Ontario just twice in two weeks for just over $34-million. In addition to Reid's announcement of $1,500 for the Legion in his riding, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor announced a $34-million improvement to the facilities at CFB Trenton.

Manitoba -- unlikely to be very volatile in the next federal election -- saw just 3 announcements where $780,000 of federal money was dished out.

Here's the provincial breakdown for the first 13 days of Parliament's summer:

  • Nova Scotia: 4 announcements worth $3.1-billion.
  • Saskatchewan: 4 announcements worth $1.51-billion.
  • New Brunswick: $221-million.
  • B.C.: 9 announcements worth $103.9-million
  • Quebec: 12 announcements totalling $46-million.
  • Ontario: 2 announcements worth $34-million.
  • Alberta: 3 announcements worth $17.27-million
  • PEI: 5 announcements worth $7.62-million
  • Nfld and Labrador: 15 announcements $6.82-million.
  • Manitoba: 3 announcements worth $780,000.