OTTAWA - The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the Conservative government has made a whopping $19.2 billion worth of pre-election spending announcements since June.
The figure is more than twice the federation's initial estimate of $8.8 billion.
The federation says the Tories spent about $198 million each day, or more than $8.2 million every hour, between June 2 and Sept. 6, the day before the campaign began.
The group's new estimate includes $6.2 billion in infrastructure money for Ontario and another $4 billion in spending announced in the days before Sunday's election call.
The Conservative party is pointing out, however, that none of the spending was new.
A spokesman says the announcements that took place during the time period cited by the federation were based on the 2008 budget and approved by Parliament.
He cited an $80-million repayable loan to Ford announced Sept. 3, which aims to create 757 jobs in Windsor, Ont., noting the money came out of the existing $250-million Auto Innovation Fund.
He said a $27-million repayable loan to Heroux Devtek in Longueuil, Que., for research and development came out of the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative, was created last year.
"This is not new spending over and above the funds approved by Parliament in Budget 2008," the spokesman said.
Regardless, the federation noted the 2008 Conservative budget set spending growth at 3.4 per cent this fiscal year.
Research director Adam Taylor said the Tory minority government has consistently underestimated spending growth since it took power in January 2006.
The Finance Department reported last month that expenditures grew by 11.1 per cent in June alone and swelled by 8.4 per cent in the first quarter, or two-and-a-half times the 2008 budget plan.
