Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – An assessment of Canada’s $4 billion infrastructure stimulus program by Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page found that the program failed to create as many jobs as it envisioned.

The assessment was based on a survey of institutions that received the stimulus money made by Phoenix Strategic Perspectives. Page commissioned the survey.

While the survey found that respondents viewed the programs as well run, only 33.3 percent of the respondents believed that the stimulus fund had a positive impact on reducing unemployment. Those who had a neutral view of the fund’s impact on employment comprised 43.3 percent and those who expressed a negative view made up 20.6 percent.

However, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper refuted Page’s data. The prime minister said that 430,000 more Canadians have work now compared to 18 months ago. The Canadian Federation of Municipalities also debunked the report, saying that 11,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure projects.

The PBO report received 644 responses out of 1,129 organizations surveyed.

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